Hidden In Plain Sight 2 - Return To Memories Past
by dedicatedwriter21
Summary: Faced with an uprising, the soul realms band together to quash the rebel forces. A young monarch dares to do the unthinkable to wipe out all evil. Whilst her children find truth in the most unexpected place. As the war comes to a climax, flashback to where it all began. Then in the present, clans reunite to commence a new golden age. ON HIATUS!
1. The Fall of Sōsuke Aizen

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! I would strongly suggest that you read 'Hidden In Plain Sight' before more onto this one. I hope this story takes off. Though given my university workload, it will most likely be a weekly update. I had so many ideas but feared that none of them would do 'Hidden In Plain Sight' justice. I decided to start posting early to see if there is enough interest in this story. I hope you ENJOY!**

When Sōsuke woke it was not pleasant, not by a long shot. His body paralysed with his mind on high alert. Yes it seemed that he had entered into a state of panic. This was not like him, he was the calm one, he was the rational one. And seeing as his mind raced not giving him clear answers. He only had to assume that something was wrong, something was very, very wrong. Things did not add up. What was his doing lying on a cold hard floor? Why had he been asleep on the cold hard floor in the first place anyway?

Sōsuke may have not like the paralysis, but what came after, well that was one hundred times worse. The feeling came back, and with it came the pain. Such pain which he could only describe as a thousands knifes driving into his body. Or perhaps swords. Everywhere from his abdomen to his legs felt on fire. The stabbing pains intensified. So much so that Sōsuke had to bit down his tongue to stop himself crying out. Where was the pain coming from? Where was he? Why was he hear? Had he been in some sort of battle? What was wrong with him he did not know?

Unable to come up with any clear answers, Sōsuke decided to break things down. The first thing he needed to do was to figure out where he was. He did this by sitting up and concentrating on his surroundings. All the while, he did his best to channel out the pain. And that was when he saw something else, something else that even rattled him. He was lying in a giant pool of blood, fresh blood. And whilst Sōsuke was struggling to rack his brain for answers. What he saw, only made him ask more questions indeed.

Now he needed to know where the blood had come from, surely it could not be his. Could it? If there was anything Sōsuke prided himself in, it was his observational skills. He could sneak up on his foes but they did not have the skill to do the same to him. But as he tapped down his chest and his legs. He was starting to realise that something like that had happened. Something or someone had attacked him. Though for them to have been successful, well it would have had to be an ambush.

If that was the case then Sōsuke had to hunt them down. Though with bouncing to his feet, he felt an extreme wave of dizziness hit him anew. Ah yes, he should have been careful about that. He had forgotten about his injuries for a while there. Injuries that if he had taken more notice, he would have sought treatment. Especially since they were beginning to reopen again. Things were still hazy for Sōsuke. There was something that was not right. And one of those things happened to be the fact that he realised that he was in none other then the throne room.

No one was there apart from him. Putting two and two together meant, that this was the last place he had to be before the ambush. But who could have snuck up on him in such a way? He did not think the soul king would do such a thing. He and Delilah had been joined at the hips since the twins' birth. That was something that he did not understand. And it was something that even began to irk Gin. Then again, Gin seemed to be somewhat cowed in his sensei's presence. Almost as if his teacher held some sort of hidden sway over the lad.

"Master...Master...can you hear me?"

Now that was a voice he recognised. It went from garbled to clear . The voice, female in nature, seemed worried beyond comprehension. And seeing as they had worked together since the time he could remember. He knew her for what she was:

"What seems to be the matter, Kyōka Suigetsu?"

He heard her let out a loud sigh:

"It's a miracle that you are alive. I thought, I thought that they had severed your soul chain. I thought I had lost you"

Sōsuke found himself taking a double step. It almost sounded as if his zanpakutō was insinuating that he had died. If that was the case how was he alive. Also such a thing would not have been possible. Those bond to the soul king could not die, not really. After all, his sensei would have known about the ambush, he was sure. And his sensei would have not let him go so easily. Or was there something that Sōsuke was missing. Was there something that was interfering or had ceased their connection all together. This was something that Sōsuke did not allow himself to think about. Or his zanpakutō would not let him.

"You must warn Delilah. You must find her immediately"

His zanpakutō seemed to know more about the situation then he did. This was unnerving. His mind came up blank when he tried to put two and two together. The pain was starting to become all consuming if he were being honest. He did not care. He drew on his reserves, he needed them. Even if they ended up being the only thing that kept him alive. Some may have considered him suicidal, though he did not see it that way. He did not engage in bloody battles. Not like Delilah, not like Hiromasa. They resorted to the Kenpachi style of fighting. He did things with finesse. He used kidō, the situation demanded it of him. Most times he would have used ink. He did not have that to hand, he used the next best thing. He began to mark his arms with the squared lines, he draw the symbols on his hands. The box of reiatsu began to flicker in front of him. It was faint, he needed to reach for more of her reserves. He moved his hands left and then right as the chant came soon after:

"Black and white net. Twenty second bridge, Sixty six crown and cincture! Footprints! Distant thunder! Arrow, rotating land, cover of night! Sea of clouds, pale soldiers! Form a circle and then charge through the heavens! Bakudō 77. Tenteikura!"

...

From the moment the kidō command came out of Sōsuke's mouth. The lines began to spread across the air and all across the palace. If Sōsuke had been able to pinpoint Delilah's location, things would have been easier. But as of late, that was not possible. So he sent out empty signals everywhere he could think off. Something would come up, or he would get a clue in which direction he needed to head. The first places he spread his reiatsu towards came up empty. So did the second and the third and the forth. In fact he almost had no luck as his kidō spell began to disintegrate. The pain hit him once more and his wound began to bleed again. Still he held on, and then he received a flicker of reiatsu. It was not Delilah's, it his sensei's. Now this was not the result which he had wanted, that was obvious. But it was not as if he could keep searching, his own body would not let him. So his only hope was that by finding his sensei, he would in fact find Delilah. Then again, if Sōsuke admitted it to himself. Tracking Delilah had been getting more and more difficult. And it all went to back to the twins' birth over a thousand years before.

In his mind, Sōsuke geared himself up to go on his way. But from the moment that he moved one foot forward, every part of his body screamed in agony. His head began to pound and his ears began to buzz. He began to sway to and fro, to and fro. He knew what this symptoms were. These were the steps that would lead him to faint and black out again. This was something he could not afford. He had more important things to do. He had to stay calm. He had to breath in and out. He needed to grit his teeth and find Delilah. His zanpakutō's panicking annoyed him to no end. But then it was also making his fight against the great wave of weakness. Weakness which he swallowed as he continued to put one foot after another. The pain was unbearable. But he told himself over and over again, that what did not kill him only made him stronger. Then again, he did not plan to die. He wanted instead to track down Delilah, and then hunt down those who had dared to ambush him.

He wanted to move quickly, flash stepping would have been ideal. But those options were not available to him. He was not at his best, that was obvious. Yet he was still a captain. He was still trained by the soul king. And he was not about to let something like reopened wound drag him down. So he continued to walk towards the exit. The pain and the dizziness still persisted. But he concentrated on his zanpakutō's panic instead. Even if she was being quite irrational about everything, at least she kept him focused. And kept his mind of the fact that he was in fact leaving behind him another trail, another trail of blood. His blood. In some ways it was a similar situation in which Delilah had found herself with Mimi Ukitake. She had not taken much noticed of her wounds back them. She had only wanted to find her daddy. Sōsuke had been her healer. But with his own reserves depleted, healing himself did not seem possible at the moment. He would have to hope that he would endure and that sooner or later, all would be well.

From the moment he stepped out of the throne room, he immediately surveilled the area. It was the right thing to do, considering how he had yet to remember how the enemy was. The same enemy that his zanpakutō wanted him to want Delilah off. It unnerved him a great deal that there was an enemy with the royal realm. An enemy which could very well be a danger to Delilah, Gin and the children. An enemy which he had yet to realise had been the reason for the near extinction of the Kishimioro clan. Those thoughts were ones that unsettled Sōsuke. He could not believe that such an enemy had been undercover for such a long time. He could not understand why they would decide to strike now. And also it only served to bring Sōsuke more questions then it did answers. After all, had Delilah not avenged the Kishimioro clan by slaying the hollow king. Had she not almost lost her own life to achieve such a prize? Was that not a part of her glory? Or had there been others behind the scenes pulling the strings all along? That was something that terrified Sōsuke. And such a bout of fear brought forth the first set of answers. Answers conveyed through sets of fragmented memories.

For a moment there it was almost as if he was back into the throne room. Even though he knew that he had crossed the threshold. He then returned to the present as he began to make his way down the hallway. Once again, his surroundings flickered back to the throne room. This time though, things were different. This time, Sōsuke realised that he was not alone. He could sense them. Their reiatsu felt familiar yet dark, ever so dark. And they appeared to be coming closer and closer towards him. His vision then flickered back to the present as his mind whirled at the new piece of information. In his current time and place, he followed after the flicker of his sensei's reiatsu. But the futher and further he moved away from the throne room. The more his vision flickered back to the throne room. If those enemy energies had been far away to begin with. Well they were now getting closer and closer. Sōsuke might have reacted, he might have backed away. But they moved fast and it was not as if he could control something that was replaying from memory.

...

These flickers between the past and the present continued as Sōsuke made his way through the palace. It was a huge place, it was once empty especially after the soul king lost his children. But then Delilah came along and so did the rest of her children. The children, those poor innocent children. They lit up the halls with laughter and fun. Though not at that moment in time. It was early afternoon. The young ones were in class. Sōsuke was not on teaching duty. Gin was probably in charge. Sōsuke had pulled away from the day. After all, he now recalled that it had been a note that had lead him to the throne room in the first place. And once he began making his way down the subterranean training halls. The flickers of memories of being surrounded turned dark, it turned violent. As that was when he remembered the first blade piercing him from behind. It caused his past self to cry out. It caused the wounds of his present self to run once again. It made him feel awful. But Sōsuke did not hold those memories back. Not when he was so close to identifying just who the enemy was.

His vision flickered back to the present as he knocked on the first door. There was no answer. There was no way of even opening the door. He knocked on the second door, once again things were silent. Well silent in the present. But as he found himself revisiting the past, he saw flashes of each stabbing inflicted upon his body. He remember how he had tried to push them off with kidō. He then saw that he had been overtaken by their numbers. Thus showing that it was more than one enemy he was dealing with. There were many, many enemies meaning the children were in that much more danger. Children which did not share his blood but saw him as granddaddy and protector. This was a title he cherished, this was a title he fought for. The stabbings happened, happened and happened again. But Sōsuke still pulled through each memory. He knocked on every door, hearing no answer. He was beginning to feel weak once again. His vision was going dark. But he knew that he had to press on. And it was not longer after that, that he began to recall their voices. Their words ringing in his ear as if they were a siren for war.

"Do you really think you can take us down by yourself? Do you really think that your captain status means anything? We have all been captain at one point or another. But we learnt not to be so naive. We learnt that Yamamoto is nothing but an old fool at the beck and call of the noble clans"

By that point Sōsuke recalled how he struggled to breath. They were still plunging their sword into him. But they had slowed down a little. Then again, their words felt more like daggers to the heart then the actual stabbings.

"Your parents thought they could take us on too. But we wiped them out along with the rest of the Aizen clan. The Ichimarus and the Tōsens meet their demise sooner. It did not matter whether they knew who we were. We had been waiting for them, thus they had not stand a chance"

Even though it was a memory, in the present, Sōsuke still found himself gasping for breath. Yes the pain was unbearable, but the fear, the fear superseded everything. He had wanted answers, and he was getting them. Including answers to a past he had never known, a past ripped from him with the deliberate murder of his parents. Something that he had wrongly blamed on his sensei in the beginning. And once again he felt the tingling of the wound in his shoulder. He knew the incident that had caused the pain, but most of all, he remembered the pain from hearing those words.

"Those elite warriors, if only they had chosen the victors then they may have lived. You are in our way. With you gone, that half breed boy will be next. Their children will become our hostages and their mother will have no choice but to give us what we want. Something that should she should have gotten in the first place"

It was as Sōsuke returned to the presence that his entire body starting shaking in fear. He knew who the enemies were, he knew why they had gotten so close. He knew why the Kishimioro clan was near extinction. He would not let his parents' deaths be in vain. He would warn Delilah before the enemies could carry out their plans. As it was then that he proceeded to knock on the last door. There was no answer at first. Sōsuke thought that after everything he had failed. The darkness was beginning to set in, even those Sōsuke did not want it too. Would he not be able to protect Delilah, Gin and the children after all?

The door did open, it was his sensei. He went from serene to worried, very much so.

"Sōsuke, what in the...?"

But Sōsuke did not let him finish. He stumbled in he had to get to Delilah. Delilah was on the floor, mediating by the looks of it. But with him there, she snapped out of it. Sōsuke did not know what the two of them had been doing. He didn't care, his senses were starting to go haywire. His zanpakutō's voice was fading fast. And as he stumbled towards Delilah, he told her in as loud a voice as he could muster.

"The traitors...the royal guard...you must..."

Sōsuke never did managed to finish his sentences before everything went dark. The last thing that made his ears' sting was Delilah's scream that came seconds after. It was so painful that even pierced his very soul and made his zanpakutō shake. Such great power Delilah held over his zanpakutō even though Shiruba Oji had never copied his technique. Where did such a great power come from? How could so simple as Delilah's screams go onto shake the realms to the extreme? More questions instead of answers, this was not how Sōsuke had envisaged his death.

 **Hello readers and welcome back! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter of part two. If it takes off, we will be in for the long haul. Your feedback is crucial so I can make sure that there is interest for me to continue this story. I have a lot of big plans, but what I am looking for is confirmation. Until next time, fingers crossed :)**


	2. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 1

**Hello again there dear readers, it looks like there has been some interest in this story. A shout out to AnjuSchiffer for your enthusiasm :) I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter as things are about to get a lot more. Though there will be big revelations across the whole of this part.** **I had a lot of thought about tying up loose ends from part one. Fingers crossed I manage it in part two. Please READ and REVIEW, this next chapter :)**

When one things of the universe, they think of many worlds connected together. Most speculate a little on these matters, but real thoughts about it does not happen. Most souls cannot control the tides, most souls find themselves lead by a higher power. They make the best of whatever situation they are in. Delilah was once one of these souls. She had a fate, a grand fate, one that had yielded many positive results. Yet now things were different. Now she was the one who could see the tides of energy stringing the worlds together. Now she was the one who almost thought that she could reach out and touch those strings. That was her intention. She was still a curious specimen after all. This was not a characteristic which she had lost upon termination of childhood. Instead it had become even more intensified. And now there was a part of her which was not actually a part of her. It was a power that seemed to have it's own authority and even it's own voice. Shirūba Ōji did not like the presence. Shirūba Ōji refused to even work together with it. Thus the bickering often lead to many migraines for Delilah to deal with.

"Sōsuke, what in the...?"

The sudden spike in emotion was what had caused Delilah's concentration to break. She had learnt to channel out the voices, that was the first step. Now she was trying to hone this new power she wielded. That was not going as well as she would have liked. The presence did not seem all that forthcoming. She blamed Shirūba Ōji for that. But it seemed that day was not the day that she would make progress. Not when upon opening her eyes she saw a sight which who have painted the perfect scene of one of her nightmares. It was Sōsuke, the man who was in every way her father but by blood. Talking about blood, that was what horrified her to the very bone. It was the blood, the gashes present all over his arms, torso and even legs. Those who were not versed in the ways of battle many have assumed retching positions as a result. Delilah was not so weak willed, not yet. Her mind buzzed maddened by the sight in front of her. Who dared to hurt him would pay, but first, but first she needed to help him.

She rushed towards him, analysing ever morsel of evidence placed before her. But every time she tried to figure out who had hurt Sōsuke, her mind would come up blank. As far as she knew the royal realm was safe, the royal realm was pure. That was what her grandfather had told her when she had began her very needed training. Could she have missed something? Her handle on the power was not so good, not as good as her grandfather's had been. But still it shock her to the core that someone, someone in the royal realm could have hoodwinked the lot of them. These perpetrators were no doubt smart. They had no doubt been planning this ambush for a very long time. It could even exceed the time that Delilah had existed. It frustrated her to no end that all she had were questions and no answers. She was even using the battle tactics that Sōsuke had taught her in battle. The tactics to analyse an opponent and use their weaknesses against them. But those teachings would fall short in such a situation. Being so divided was not a good thing though, it hampered her ability to bring forth the healing kidō. Yet her efforts seemed to be in vain in the end.

Delilah still flung herself forward though desperate to steady Sōsuke on his feet. He looked so battered, he looked so tired, he looked so weak. She had never seen him like this. She did not like seeing him like this, not one bit. This was her Daddy, this was her protector, and he was dying. He was dying right in front of her and she could not do anything to stop it. The healing kidō came but it did nothing, It ignited her anger, her vision when blurry as a result. She could not think straight, she panicked, she was ready to do battle. Her kaidō came but nothing at all remained of Sōsuke's reiatsu. It was like his flame, it was like his spirit had ceased to exist. Delilah's own reiatsu was rising to the occasion, it was futile though. Delilah did not have the experience how to wield that great power. Not when such great power still seemed to control her rather than the other way around.

That meant that the next set of events were inevitable and she hated it. Her rage bubbled to the surface, her visions, her senses went haywire. She almost could not hear Sōsuke's last words with everything going on. In fact what he said sounded more like war bells then anything else:

"The traitors...the royal guard...you must..."

As Sōsuke said those words, his blood seeped into Delilah's cream robes. But that was not what made Delilah's heart feel as if it were being ripped in two. No what made her feel like dying too was the fact that the healing kidō had not worked. What made her feel like dying what that even with her superior strength, Sōsuke's body still felt like lead in her arms. He was heavy, but she wanted to hold onto him. She did not want to let him go. She wanted to hold him close as his heartbeat became slower and slower and slower. She wanted scream, she wanted to beg for him to stay with her. She wanted so many things that she did not register his last actions. The last actions that would help her in the battle to come. And when she finally lowered Sōsuke's lifeless body to the ground that was when she lost it. She no longer held the raw emotion back, as a result, she screamed. It was a scream like no other.

Either chimes or the sound of cockerels roused the residents of the soul society in the morning. Which one, well that depended on which district the souls lived in. There were no longer any poor districts. Local worship houses, schools and orphanages made sure of that. Once upon a time that was where souls lived in constant poverty and fear of the wealthy souls. The legacy of Delilah had wiped that away. Now the nobles clans treated these souls with care even partaking in the daily events. Delilah may no longer be here but that did not mean that they were not going to carry on her good work. That day though the nobles slept in. They were still waited on hand and foot so rising early was not necessary for them. The average soul did not live that much a pampered life. They had shelter, they had food. Talking about food, it was the end of the week. That was the time for all souls to bring their produce to the food market and make a little bit of a profit. They no longer shied away from doing it. Not when the nobles had ceased hunting them down for extortionate taxes.

Now things had completely turned around. Most times during the weekend market, it was the nobles who were the greatest customers. They were the ones who loved to sieve through the latest delicacies on sale. They had their own farmers, yes that was true. But even they recognised that these newer more prosperous souls were a benefit to them as well. These souls came up with all sorts of new foods and new products to sell. They were the ones contracted now to sell designer wear in the shops. If these designs were good enough then they would make their way right into the Seireitei. That was an honour that many of these creative souls strived for. Sure their princess Delilah was no longer there. Yet every soul in the soul society now felt as if they had a place in this world. They had the opportunities to survive and thrive. They gave their thanks to the royal family everyday. It had been the soul princess who had brought about this change. And they could not imagine that anyone would want to take this positive changes away from that. Yet that was when things were about to change, change for the worst. As it was then that everything began to shake.

At first the shaking was more like a low grade tremor, a vibration. It was so mild that the only signs of it happening were the electric shocks. Those electric shocks which occurred when souls collided with each other on the road. This was a more common phenomenon at the current time given the hustle and bustle of the crowds. It caused some of them to yelp, it caused others to laugh. Indeed many considered it to be a hilarious occurrence. Yet they laughed too soon, as the tremor soon turned to shaking. Shaking that made food go falling of the foot stands and souls to crash into each other. The shaking continued as the souls continued to collide with one another. Many found their produce falling onto the floor. Some souls stepped on the melons and the potatoes inevitably ruining them. So it was almost inevitable when tensions began to sore.

"You idiot I spent six months growing these babies and you and your clumsy feet had to stomp them to death"

The one with the elevated tone was one of the food sellers. The customers seemed to back away. This was too reminiscent of the times when the nobles would strike them down for petty things. But the same incident happened again and again and again. The shaking was even starting to cause some food stands to fall, fall right on top of some of the customers.

"Hey watch it, your stand almost crushed us to death"

These occurrences repeated more and more and more as tensions rose. Squabbles began to break out left, right and centre. Though it would not be long until full panic would set in, as cracks began to appear on nearby buildings.

That was when the personal squabbles transformed into screams. No longer were the sellers and the customers determined to get their best buy of the day. No now they realised that the shaking was in fact not normal. One by one food stands began to fall and as a result the customers began to run, run for their lives. Even the food sellers began to back away as many of them began trapped under the rubble. And that was when something amazing transpired. Even under their panic, even after their disagreement. All the soul present pitched in to help one another out of the rubbles. Those injured found themselves hoisted up and carried by others.

Panic was still growing amongst the masses, but in the end they all began to head inside. There they would wait to see what happened. There they huddled together as the shaking reached epic heights. They were so severe that many became ill. Many found themselves retching the contents of their breakfast. It was not a pleasant sight to see. The communal centres set to work distributing food and water. But soon they all realised the folly of their decision. The cracks that had appeared in the buildings grew wider and wider and wider with the shaking that continued to rock the whole of the soul society. Some souls even cried out:

"What's happening? What's happening? Where are they? Why haven't the soul reapers come yet? Are we at war?"

Once upon a time relations between the Seireitei and the rest of the soul society was at an all time low. Now souls looked at soul reapers like heroes, protectors, friends. They were certain that the soul reapers would bring out the reinforcements soon. There were reinforcements already in the works but they were not their allies, far from it.

Everything started that day as it usually did. Everyone from soul captains to the lowliest soul went about their usual business. Yes that was true. But there was something foul afoot. There were those who had been plotting and planning for centuries if not thousands of years. They had waited and watched their adversaries all whilst planning. They planned, they had planned to an overthrow, yes that was true. But they had meet obstacles and delays until now. Now they had a glimmer of hope that they would succeed, succeed and gain the ultimate power. Their operations began in the royal realm. All the while their armies amassed right underneath everyone's feet.

How was this possible you may ask? Well it was all thanks to the long underground tunnels they had been carving out inch by inch for many years. This was not something they rushed in, no that would have given their plans away. And there had been certain times in the soul society's history. Such as when Delilah was present that these enemy forces did not want their presence known. Indeed they may not have penetrated the thirteen court guard squads or the noble clans so the speak. But they had partitioned a part of a Seireitei's power of which they held control over. This was something that they had done at a snail's crawl so as not to cause alarm.

But now, now they no longer had to restrain themselves. Now they could gather together all the soul reapers they had acquired over the years. Some of them they had trained. Whilst others they had plucked from the noble clans they served and even the thirteen court guard squads. There was no doubt that the Maggot's Nest had been a very useful loophole for them. When souls went missing from there, well most did not look twice. It was true that the Maggot's Nest had declined to nothing since Delilah's reforms. But before her arrival, they had taken full advantage of it. After all, it was one of the honey pots to find dissatisfied souls thrown away by the Seireitei.

So they amassed, marched even in the tunnels made especially for them. They had the training, they knew the mantra. They knew that that was the day that they would carry out the plans of their masters. But it was as they began to come together, that they too felt it. They too felt the tremors and the shaking. At first this was something that they thought that their bosses had thrown in to give them an edge. But when the shaking began uncontrollable, knocking them over. They realised, they realised that this was something else. Some of them could even feel the denseness in the air. Some of them could almost make out the screaming. And to those who recognised who it was. It at first terrified them how much power she had. But then she also seemed to be losing control from her extreme anguish. This was something they hoped would make her disenfranchised to fight all together.

Once they realised that she was the source of this shaking, they began to resist the tremors. They grasped onto each other, pulling each other to their feet. They used their zanpakutōs to steady themselves. Yes it was true, they were not going to let something like this hinder their attack plans. They had trained to face all sorts of adversary over the centuries, even soul reaper captains. The only one they would not be able to face was the soul king. And most of their intel suggested that he no longer held that title anymore. They did not know how that possible given how not even the soul society knew of these changes.

Once they became steady on their feet, some other souls began to appear. At first they readied themselves to attack. But then they realised that their garb was not the soul reaper uniform. It was the grey suits they all wore. It bound them together in their hatred of everything the soul society was. It bound them together in their mission to trample down everything that existed now. They did not know what the new world would look like. But they knew that at the end of the day they would each get their revenge. Or at the very least cause a little bit of havoc before they perished for the cause.

These new member of their flock came with large sacks. They contained paperwork. Yes that was a bane that even these enemy forces seemed to groan about. But nonetheless they still distributed round the paper. Once they all have copies they realised that what they held in their possession were maps. These maps were very detailed. These maps held notes of all the secret pathways between divisions. This was all information that most of them knew. But it rekindled their battle strategy. It made them remember the new way of battle. The one that they had learnt from the time that the arrancar had lain siege upon the soul society. Yes it was true that they would spread out and attack in small pockets. It was a strategy devised by the Seireitei and now it would be the strategy that destroyed them.

So they internalised this idea, they made it their raison de être and then they began to march. They marched and marched, as the shaking continued. Soon they divided into smaller groups and then smaller and then smaller. And it was not long after that they broke through to the surface. Once there the shaking began more intense. Yes it seemed that being underground had shielded them somewhat. This time they had to wait, they observed, they planned. They were certain that the shaking would stop in time. And by that time they knew that they will have all been in position. In the perfect positions to commence their full on assault. And no one had been able to see them coming.

 **So I posted Chapter two earlier then anticipated, but I figured out a posting schedule now. I will try to stick to posting every Friday. I know it's not a daily update but hey, they are longer chapters and I am currently studying for my postgraduate degree at the moment. Also this story will have a omniscient narrator as it will be quite long and cover a range of characters.**

 **As for the next chapter, secrets from the past will start to surface. Until next Friday!**


	3. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 2

**Welcome back dear readers! Wow one week has truly gone by in a flash. Then again it could just be me with all my assignments around the corner. Thank you AnjuShiffer for showing your enthusiasm for this story. I do hope that you have read part one. Speaking of part one, I am still unsure as to whether or not I should carry on with part two. Part one was a success, so I am hoping to see a sign that part two will only add to it. So** **please READ and REVIEW to let me know what you think :)**

Even in the time of peace, even then the monthly soul captain's meetings did not cease. It was a habit of sorts. It was something that would always remain. These meetings had gone through bouts of extreme tension to extreme celebration. Most of the latest meetings had been one of extreme calm. It had been of all the good news. It had been about comments on the blossoming school system which ran through the soul society. It had been about captains even giving up their free time to teach. After all, if Delilah had managed to foster strong relationship with outside souls. The captains felt that they could do the same. This of course came with it's own benefits, if you could call it that. It came with the chance to observe the soul society more closely. Before contact between the thirteen court guard squads and the soul society centred on the academy. Now it was more personal. It lead many captains to expand their horizon of influence. One of these captains was Soi Fon. Her squad had infiltrated aspects of the soul society before. But such extensive tactics were no longer needed. Now captains could see things for themselves. And that was what lead her to announce:

"Am I the only one who has noticed rises in rogue reiatsu incidents? Am I the only one who has heard the whispers between the residents in the districts?"

At first there was no response. Soi Fon soon deduced that she had been in fact ignored. It riled her up, even her reiatsu responded in kind. Though it died down within a snap when a certain old acquaintance of hers butted in.

"Oh do keep your panties on Captain Soi Fon. Unlike what you may think of some of us, we do have eyes to see and we do have ears to hear. Also we do not need to eavesdrop on conversations. We can conduct those conversations ourselves"

Soi Fon glared at the offending captain, Hirako of squad five. Yes they shared a past, it was fuzzy. It involved her mentor Yoruichi Shihōin. She had been young back then, naive even. But she still remembered Shinji Hirako. She remembered all the kerfuffle that had happened. But she did not know any specific details. It had seemed that some higher authority had made that information unavailable. But what she did know was that Kisuke Urahara was innocent. And she had begrudgingly come to accept that he and her mentor were in fact closer that she would have liked.

"And there has also been a huge influx of students into the academy. Many seemed to pass through on sheer power and not merit. It kind of sucks that many of us have had to extend the size of our squad barracks"

It was the captain of squad three, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi who added his own findings next. Though it was Retsu Unohana who seemed to have more hands on experience with the matter.

"Having more students and squad members is still the better solution. My squad had encountered many incidents in which souls with high reiatsu have proven dangerous to those around them. Many souls injured in these incidents have required emergency treatment only provided by the Seireitei. I have obliged but I do send healers out on a regular basis. Some souls have the capability to be a soul reapers. But in some cases, having reiatsu is akin to them residing in hell. It almost makes me wonder if these souls should be placed into seclusion all together"

Now this was something that shook many of the captains to the core. Many of them would not be in the Seireitei had it not been for their power. There was one soul reaper captain who seemed to take offence to Captain Unohana's words. After all, he too had gone through the same experiences during his childhood.

"You are not thinking of the Maggot's Nest, are you? Some souls are innocent of their actions. Some souls find themselves in situations that they simply cannot control. Should we really take away their freedoms just to keep others safe? There is a better solution, there must be. Sealing their reiatsu would be more practical then anything else. It is a common misconception that those in the Maggot's Nest are no threat to us. But by throwing them in there, we are in fact creating dissidents who might one day wish to get revenge. We barely made it out of the last war that we had to face. If we create more enemies then we create the likelihood of more wars. I do not think that the soul society can survive another war. Last time it was contained. Last time we did have Princess Delilah on our side"

For a captain as young as Hitsugaya well he had most definitely left some impressed. Some seemed annoyed at his insinuation that they would not strong enough to destroy dissidents. They found it laughable that he was measuring to them to his standards. Tōshirō went quiet embarrassed at the hardened glances he was receiving. He knew that what he said was right. But still there was no doubt that he still felt as if the other captains pushed him around. And it surprised him when someone stepped in to divert the attention away from him. And it shocked him to see exactly who it was.

"The solution to these problems are all quite simple. The noble clans will simply have to begin apprenticing young souls again. That way they can either choose to join the thirteen court guard squads or live in peace in the soul society. Either way the threat of them injuring others will be gone"

Some captains wanted to laugh at the notion of Byakuya's statement. They wanted to ridicule him for suggesting that the noble clans do their job. But Byakuya had been ready for their reactions as his next words caused a few eyes to open wide:

"The tradition of apprenticeships is an old one. In fact one of the most prominent apprentices of the noble clans was none other then Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto himself."

...

Silence, silence was the result that came from Byakuya's words. This was the last thing that they had expected him to say. Many doubted his words, they seemed incredible even to the most trained ear. And there was some who considered the chance that he might be speaking the truth. After all, it was well known between the captains that the Kuchiki clan was the guardian of records. Yet there was one captain who immediately took offence. It was one who no one there expected him to loose his cool. Yes it was none other than Shunsui Kyōraku himself:

"You listen here brat, you should know better than to sprout of things that are not true"

Byakuya did respond, in fact he did not even seem to notice Shunsui at all. No his eyes were now rested on none other than the head captain. The aged soul reaper was his usual stoic self. But any trained warrior knew what that was. Any trained warrior knew that acting calm could be the same as putting on a facade. Byakuya knew that this facade would not last. Not when each of the other captains were now looking towards Yamamoto for answers.

"Shunsui it is you who should watch your tongue. You are the one who should not have presumptions in things that you do not understand"

Shunsui immediately hunched forward in a spasm at the sound of the head captain's voice. He had not expected that rage to find it's way towards him. Byakuya yes, but not him. His instinct was to fight for his defence. He wanted to show his sensei just where he was going wrong. But that was not the way things seemed to be going. His master did after all go onto make a confession. All the while, Shunsui began to fell very small with his sensei's fiery glare coming his way.

"Yes Captain Kuchiki speaks the truth. I was an apprentice once, it was the way back then. The term soul reaper did not exist at that point, it became a later trend. My master was one of those who even established that official soul reaper arts. Though he goes by a different name now. It is a pity that such a powerful clan wained in influence all because of sibling disputes"

The head captain had made perfect sense until he became rather cryptic towards the end. Something had cut him off, something to impediment him from elaborating on the matter. And neither one seemed to quite pinpoint what it was. Indeed Yamamoto had wanted to do so had it not been for that chilling glare directed his way. Neither one of this captains quite saw this exchange of interactions. They were not expecting it, so seeing was not so straightforward. Not when the other captain in question had such great practice in hiding his darker side. It was something he did not show, it was something kept private. Yet it was also something that defined the split between his clan itself. It was not something discussed, it was not something known either, not really. This family split caused one half to concentrate only on their image of power. Whilst the other half left behind faced the gaping wound which they hide with smiles and kinds words. This hurt was an inherited trait within the family. It was one that that current clan head had only come to truly learn just why that was. That pent up rage was still there of course, and there were times when his facade still cracked. But this time when it did, well there were not any witnesses paying attention. No the potential witnesses, the other captains, were far too busy with other things. They were far too busy wrapping their heads around the latest revelations after all.

"Could I be that the noble clans were actually that noble?"

This was one of the questions which of course surfaced. Not all the captains were nobles of course. But for those who were, well they could have quite easily become offended. Yet one of them choose not to back down, he was headstrong after all. He was Byakuya Kuchiki determined to put the argument to rest once and for all.

"You should be aware that not all souls go through the academy to become soul reapers. After all, I am sure that you all know very well that most noble clans still have vassal clans who have sworn their lives into serving them. The members of those clans self teach their children. Some of those vassal clans even teach the children of the main noble clans themselves"

"Oh yeah, give proof princess"

Naturally it was Kenpachi that cut in. He was getting quite irritated with all these noble talk. He would have liked nothing more than for it to come to an end. If he had truly wanted that though, him talking and drawing attention to himself was not the best option. It only caused more reason to debate the matter that much further.

"I have your proof barbarian, the Fon clan are the vassal clan to the Shihōins are they not? I believe that Captain Soi Fon did not reach the level of soul reaper captain through the usual academy route"

Now this was something that made Soi Fon go red in the face. Now everyone was looking at her in a loop sided manner. This was something that she did not feel comfortable with, not one bit. But then she refused to denounce her master clan anyway. They had treated her clan very well for many, many generations. This was not something that she could ever see changing. In fact, it would infuriated her if it ever did. Thank goodness that brat Yūshirō seemed to have become more responsible over the years. She even ended up butting out of the rest of the conversation all together. Yes it seemed that the division between noble and non nobles still existed. And what had began as a peaceful debate soon turned into a rowdy argument.

...

Yes the debate began to spiral but with three captains not in the mix. One was the head captain, he did not bother himself with such trivial things. Another was Jūshirō, his mind was beginning to wondered onto other things. Soi Fon failed to find her voice so she refused to take part any longer. Though she did find it strange that the thirteenth division captain was so quiet. It almost made her think that he was hiding something. Something that might have made the head captain's message a little less confusing. She was not one to push, she did not feel as if it were her place. But still she could not help but wonder just what was going through Jūshirō's mind. A fourth captain did eventually join them, Mayuri. He had lost interest in the whole debate instead focusing his attention on the before and the now. Yes it had became to tickle his curiosity a great deal on what things have been like before the thirteen court guard squads. In fact he even began to wonder just why it had come into existence in the first place. These were all things he desperately wanted to dissect and learn about. But soon everyone was cut off, as the light tremors that had gone unnoticed had gone to full blown earthquake mode. Yes the shaking had commenced.

But before the shaking gripped them, Jūshirō received a warning. A warning of something very bad to come. What he received was a message, or a sound, the sound of someone screaming. At first the screaming seemed faint, like it was eons away. But as the screaming intensified the light tremors that had gone unnoticed also followed suit. It was the shaking that threw the other captains off. It was the screaming that pierced Jūshirō's soul. It may have even brought on one of his coughing attacks when it hit him head on exactly who the screams belonged to. Delilah.

Now had it been any other soul in Jūshirō's position, they would have asked the obvious question. They would have asked, how exactly did Delilah's screams equate to the shaking? How did Delilah have such power that seemed to grip each and everyone of the soul realms? Jūshirō of course did not ask these questions. He did not need to. He was a lot more savvy then any of the captains in the room who wobbled at the shakiness. He was a lot more in the know then the others who could not hear the screaming. But even with knowing things that others did not, it did not lessen the chance for Jūshirō to worry.

Most would have tried to block out the screaming to stop them loosing their minds. Jūshirō did the opposite, he blocked out everything to only focus on Delilah. He even became immune to the full effects of the shaking. This was a luxury that the other captains clearly did not have. Then again they were not exactly prepared. They went from their growing argument to almost falling over. That was something that caused a great deal of embarrassment no doubt. After all, to many captains, not controlling their balance was tantamount to weakness. Some of them even through to use their zanpakutōs to bring an end to the shaking all together. Those attempts were failed attempts. It did not matter how much power they had. Not when they soon realised that this power far surpassed their own. Even the head captain's eyes went wide. Yes from where Jūshirō stood, it seemed that his master recognised this power. But that was where their shared knowledge ended. Jūshirō became more and more focused and balanced. Yamamoto, meanwhile, used his own zanpakutō as a way to try and fight of the full effects of the intense shaking.

The chaos that affected the other captains did not do the same to Jūshirō. Instead, he looked further and further into himself and let his reiatsu rise to the surface. It was as he did this that his reiatsu soon collided with remnants of Delilah's reiatsu. It was so immense that even Jūshirō would have felt a little intimidated. But that was not what he found unsettling. What he found unsettling was the extreme anguish which impregnated the air. This was raw emotion, this was something that was akin to grief in Jūshirō's mind. His instant reaction was anger. It was not directed towards Delilah but at the soul which he had hoped would shield Delilah from any more pain. Then again this was the same soul that had torn the Ukitake clan in half and made it that much weaker. His parents may not have known the truth of their history, but he did. He had accessed the hidden records. Byakuya had shown them to him. And a part of him still felt enraged that he had let Delilah go to the royal realm in the first place. After all, through him, her existence could have meant the full restoration of the Ukitake clan.

After anger washed over him, on that his own reiatsu may have lashed out for, came the fear. He feared for Delilah's safety. Of course he did, she was still his child. And he also feared for the security of his grandchildren. Yes he knew they existed, he had told him as much. Yes Delilah was a mother now, and with such anguish, it made him feel as if the worst had happened to the children. He had never seen his grandchildren in person before, but he had seen them in pictures. He knew their names and a little of what they were like. He had been courteous enough to provide him with that information. One day, he knew that he would have come to meet the young ones. But now, now he was starting to think that perhaps he would have to cross into the royal realm. He knew that no soul had ever done that with sharing the soul king's mark before. But the rules were different now, that particular soul was no longer in control. And Jūshirō did share a mark which could allow him passage. It was obscure, but it was still that buried deep instead his genetic makeup.

 **So we have come to the end of Chapter 3. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Also I wonder what you all think of the new chapter lengths. I did have quite a few requests to increase them in part one, so I am now implementing those requests in part two. Another week until Chapter 4 in which one of the captain will discover that too much pride can get you into a great deal of trouble. Until next time!**


	4. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 3

**Welcome back readers, I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I'm not quite sure as I received no indication. Here is the next chapter. Please Read, Review and hopefully Enjoy!**

The shaking continued to become more and more violent. Many of the captains became ensnared. Many of them lost their balance or at the very least fought the force which wanted to knock them over. It was not the most pleasant experience, it was quite humiliating to say the least. But at the very least it had broken them out of their never ending argument. Long gone were their preoccupations with what had taken place in the past. Now they were more interested in what was taking place right then, right now. After all, this earthquake was not normal.

Shunsui had been one of these captains trying to withstand the shaking. In the end, he had had his reiatsu coming to the surface to keep him steady. Doing this immediately showing him that these events were not caused by nature. No someone's reiatsu was causing this commotion. He would have first pegged the head captain as being responsible, sometimes his rage got the best of him. But his sensei was here. He was waiting for the shaking to also pass before moving. Shunsui was the first to move from his position even though he risked toppling over. As that was when he caught sight of his old friend.

Jūshirō seemed to be there but not there all at the same time. His outline appeared to be fading away fast, real fast. Almost like a spirit departing from this world. Shunsui's immediate reaction was to panic. His next action was to run to his friend's side, and grab onto him. He did not know exactly what he was doing. But he hoped that in some way he would be able to hold Jūshirō in this world. He even pumped his own reiatsu into Jūshirō hoping that that would do the trick. It did. His friend was no longer fading, but when Shunsui's saw those grey eyes. Well it was not happiness or relief that he saw in them. It was pure rage. It shocked Shunsui so much that he had to take a few steps back. His whole body shock as he felt Jūshirō's power rising to the surface. He had never seen his friend like this before. He had never seen such a dark expression on his face. He almost would have believed it to be an imposter if Shunsui did not recognise Jūshirō spirit signature.

This would have no doubt resulted in Shunsui dishing out a slew of questions to Jūshirō. But for now he would have to wait. The other captains were also starting to regain control of their facilities. By time the shaking had also died down, and from the looks on the others' faces. It was obvious that they were all expecting the worst. Many of them thought that this shaking was a tactic of the enemy. Shunsui may have been one of them if Jūshirō had played along. But his friend did not, his friend was keeping secrets from him, secrets that he wanted in on.

"Ooh hoo, it looks we have an enemy with such extreme power. I can want to rip them apart into a millions pieces or die trying. Such power, removing my eye patch may not be optional. Oh the glory, the absolute glory"

Only Kenpachi Zaraki would be so headstrong. He was also hungry for battle. He was the only one who also seemed crazy enough to confront such an opponent all by himself. Not even the other captains seem comfortable with the prospect. Kenpachi looked at them like wusses until Yamamoto's response made him go red in the face:

"You have already lost that battle Kenpachi, long before her power levels skyrocketed"

The head captain then glanced towards Jūshirō as a result Kenpachi did the same. Seeing as Kenpachi seemed so quiet, other captains also followed suite. Kenpachi took this a sign that everyone thought he was weak as he asked in a hurried fashion:

"Hey you're getting old, old man. There is only one who has ever given me a good whacking and she is no longer around"

Everyone's eyes went wide from the instant they understood the implication of those words. Some of their mouths hung open like goldfish looking off into space. All these revelations were starting to weigh on their minds a great deal. And it was Retsu who posed the question:

"We all know that the princess Delilah's power matched if not surpassed our own. But never has it had such a devastating effect on the realms themselves. I do not recall Delilah ever having this level of power..."

Yamamoto was still staring at Jūshirō, Shunsui too. It seemed that others were catching on with how much more the thirteenth captain knew more than them. But he was staying silent, very silent indeed. In fact he did not budge a muscle when the head captain finally asked:

"How is it that the soul princess has that much power, Captain Ukitake? Is there something that you have been neglecting to tell us?"

Jūshirō continued to remained silent. He stayed still, his expression did not change an inch. In a way he put up an invisible shield that neither one of them quite knew how to get through. Shunsui had thought of interrogating his friend until Mayuri cut in saying:

"Well whatever the vampire wifey's reason was, it was not anything good. Only extreme emotion could have caused something like that. We are captains, this could have been her warning. And anyway, we have to see what damages there are. We will have to deal with all those whiney brat soul reapers who can't handle themselves"

It was strange to hear the twelfth captain being the rational one, but yes he had a point. So the captains all began to head towards the exit of the first division. They were expecting a few toppled buildings, some injured. But as they began to make their way there, they realised that the situation was worse, much, much worse.

...

Whenever the captains had left the squad one barracks before, they had done so without a care in the world. This time though things were different, this time they were expecting problems. Some fo them were quite annoyed at how unhelpful Jūshirō was being. For them that was more worrying then the after affects of the shaking itself. After all, this was the first time that this kind benevolent captain was anything but. Some were even starting to think that something had caused Jūshirō to turn dark. Some considered it having something to do with Delilah loosing control of reiatsu. Yet what was happening on the nearby monitors soon diverted away their attention.

Yes that was one of the new features which had graced the squad one barracks. Mayuri had installed some of his relay screens in the case that he could not return to his barracks. And whilst many captains had mocked him for doing so. They were more then grateful now for the twelfth division's captains' foresight. Before they had ignored these screens as if they were a circus show. Now these same captains had slowed in their tracks to take notice. What they saw was something that made their heart rates' increase.

The soul society as a whole had gone way past recovering from the shaking. They had had no choice by the looks of it. Not when mass armies began to attack them from all different areas. It was not the soul reapers on patrol who had stepped in to help them. The enemy forces would have overwhelmed them without batting an eye. But those that did help were those effected by the rise in reiatsu levels. They varied from young to old, but they worked together. After all, it looked like everyone's lives depended on it.

Seeing this sight was both awe inspiring yet shocking for the captains to see. It warmed their hearts how everyone was pitching in to assist one another. That was the good parts of what they saw. But the bad parts, well they were very bad. It mades the captains question how they had failed to spot the ambush. Many of them tried to think of the signs but they came up empty. Though the head captain was the one who seemed the most alarmed with the events taking place.

"That's not possible. Did neither of you see anything? Have we grown so blind?" Yamamoto murmured.

Some captains heard his words, some even looked guilty. No they had not see anything. Something or someone had distracted them. Some of them were even starting to believe that Delilah had in effect shaken them to their senses. And now they had to figure out where they had gone wrong. They had been so wrapped up in the strange increases in reiatsu that they had failed to see anything else. Some even sent Tōshirō a glare when he took his moment to act all high and mighty:

"Well if you look at that. You were all complaining about the inconvenience of rising reiatsu levels. Some of you even wanted to lock them away. But where would the soul society be without these souls they? It would be overrun, lost, destroyed..."

Kenpachi was the one who dared to hit Tōshirō on the head:

"Hey kid, stop with all this nonsense. Those souls are not the problem. It's those souls who switched sides. You mentioned the maggot's nest. Could it be that they have risen up to take revenge? I'm not all that smart about these things but if anything it looks like that"

Tōshirō's facial response oozed with annoyance, but not for what everyone thought. No...it was rather Tōshirō's way of hiding the wave of jealousy that overtook him. He had wanted so hard for other captains to listen to him. And here was the brute Kenpachi commanding the attention of them all. Yes he had definitely made some serious points. Something that even made Soi Fon feel uncomfortable. After all, she was the second division captain. The maggot's nest was her domain. So in a way this had happened under her watch. Though she had no clue how that was even possible.

"Are you suggesting that we do not know how to do our jobs, Zaraki?", the head captain grunted.

Kenpachi did not flinch at the sound of anger in Yamamoto's voice. Instead he shrugged, and began muttering to himself. Well that was until Shunsui, angered, pointed his zanpakutō right at Kenpachi's throat. Kenpachi did not even flinch but rather gave the more senior captain a cool stare.

"And here I thought that I was the only hot head around here"

Shunsui gritted his teeth together so hard that everyone could see it. His face even went red with anger, as he told Kenpachi in a dark tone of voice:

"If you have criticisms, don't be a coward and say it loud and clear for us all to here"

Kenpachi's only response at that moment was to smirk, and say:

"Well if you insist...you all seem to think that you do stellar jobs. Well you must have gone wrong somewhere or..."

Now every captain was glaring at Kenpachi. He remained calm though even if the others did not approve of his next statement.

"...or you have traitors working with the soul reaper squads"

Most captains brushed of the notion. The head captain meanwhile froze for a few moments to ponder the possibility. But soon enough he also put the matter to rest, as he announced:

"Now is not the time to bicker, now is the time to go full steam ahead!"

Yamamoto had meant well. But from the moment that they opened the doors to the outside, they were waiting for them. There was thousands of them, soul reapers with their swords drawn and hollows backing them up. The captains may have wanted to get back to their squads as soon as possible. But for now, well it looked like they were not going anywhere.

...

If the captains were to establish which war was worse this one or the arrancar one. Well this one would come out on top. That was not something to celebrate, not be a long shot. How could it be cause of celebration when those who were once allies were now traitors? Since the armies they now faced were all faces that they had once crossed paths with. Some of them still remained as they had been before, pure soul reapers. Some others, well they had done the unthinkable in the captains' eyes. They had blurred the lines to gain more power and become visoreds. This was a phenomenon that most of the captains had only heard about in the passing. Some of them had even brushed it off as being nothing more then kids' horror stories. Yet what they now saw for themselves proved otherwise. The tainted reiatsu they felt made it even worse. It made them feel nauseous, as neither one of them could imagine going quite that far. Though would horrified them that most was the fact that they had gone so far to gain power. This proved their desperation to beat them. This caused anger to grow amongst the other captains. Yamamoto was the one who got most fired up though.

His anger was so great now that it had turned to fury. That extreme emotion even brought his reiatsu right to the surface. Yamamoto was not one to control his outburst. Especially not when faced with this particular situation. He was so riled up that his whole body trembled in rage at seeing these armies. He recognised them. He had let many of them enter into the thirteen court guard squads. And now, and now they had betrayed him like this? This was not something that he could bare. Though that was not in the least of his woes. There was still that whelp who had predicted these events like it meant nothing. Yes Kenpachi, the brute who liked to cut things up, had predicted this. Yamamoto had once feared Kenpachi because of his brute strength. Now it seemed that Kenpachi also had a brain on those two shoulders too. A brain that he could reason with. He might have even considered training Kenpachi that much more. Well that was if he could ever get over that whelp figuring out something that had eluded him. And now to salvage his pride and blindness, Yamamoto knew exactly what he needed to do.

"Stand aside, I will deal with these traitors"

Now this was a warning to everyone if they ever did hear one. The other captains knew it well, they also knew not to stand in the head captain's way. Though the armies surrounding them did not flinch at Yamamoto's raging reiatsu. No they were calm. It was odd, very odd indeed. Though the other captains put it down to over confidence. Yes it was true that the enemy had numbers on these side. But the captains, well they had power. They would not have had their ranks if they did not.

Moments later, Yamamoto drew his zanpakutō, it erupted in it's usual flame. Yes he was ready for battle. He was no longer going to wait around. He poised himself to charge, he poised himself to swing. Yes it seemed that he was ready to make some real damage. But neither he nor the other captains could have quite deduced what was going to happen next. Neither could have anticipated the needles. There were hundreds and thousands of them, and they were all going full speed ahead at Yamamoto.

Yamamoto found the whole incident quite amusing, he even braved a laugh. He soon showed them all that he had not lost his moves. He showed them how his zanjutsu was still as sharp as it ever was. As he lifted his zanpakutō, deflecting and burning to a crisp all the needles that came his way. To him that was a very peculiar way to do battle. In a way in seemed to be weak, too weak. Though he could not quite understand why the enemy had chosen this manner of attack. It was useless to take down such a formidable opponent such as himself. He even made it known to all them too.

"Such fools you are. Do you not know who I am? I am the head captain of the thirteen court guard squads. I am Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. I am the student of the soul king himself. You will rue the day that you dared to rise up against the Seireitei"

Yes Yamamoto liked to put on his bellowing voice in this situation. He showed those pikes that he was still the boss. But he did not see the one thing that blinded him to reality. Alas he did not realise the true effectiveness of the attack at hand. He did not recognise this until it was too late. As that was when he felt as if something had bitten him on the wrist.

At first he wanted to give his wrist a good slap to scare away any bug which was interrupting his speech. That was his first option, thank goodness, he swallowed his pride for a moment though. Since when he looked down to his wrist, he noticed that there was a needle sticking right out his vein. Slapping it away like it meant nothing would have been the worst thing that he could have done. But still that did not stop the inevitable. It did not stop the sweating and the shivers which soon began to grip his entire body. It did not stop his hearing becoming fuzzy. His sight too began to blur. His thoughts became muddled, but for a fleeting moment, he craved to burn everything to the ground. Then the dizzy set in as his entire body went weak. He lost all ability to speak and even move. The result was him thudding right to the floor. Yes it seemed that he had been too hasty. He had not anticipated that a poison needle would be so effective.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The war will continued in the next chapter. This section will be about twenty** **chapters. At that point I will see if there is enough interest for me to continue this story or delete it all together.**


	5. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 4

**Welcome back everyone, I hope you had a good week. Here is another chapter ready to go. The primary POV for this chapter is an interesting one. I hope you read, review and enjoy!**

With so many numbers, the captains expected a full frontal attack, not needles. It was an odd sight to see. It was not a strategy that either one of them quite understood. Some of them wanted to step into action. Some of them knew that something was not quite right. But many of the other captains also knew that if they stepped in, well Yamamoto would give them an earful. He was not one to share the limelight. He believed himself to be all powerful. And as the needles flew at him from all directions, that would be his downfall. Neither captain would actually say this, none of them would even dare to think it. Instead, they watched the torrent of needles. They watched how Yamamoto seemed to deflect them all. He did not tire, he seemed to find the whole thing very amusing. Indeed some of the other captains to found laughter erupting on their lips. Some of them were even beginning to agree with Yamamoto when he began to puff his chest out. The elder soul reaper seemed to be doing a-okay. He did not seem to need help. But Kenpachi could see it as clear as day that pride had definitely go to Yamamoto's head.

Pride, yes pride, that was something that Kenpachi would not be seen having. Pride was all well and good if things were going well. But in these sort of circumstances, even Kenpachi could see that it dampened the senses. It halted Yamamoto's ability to check before charging into battle. It was not a good quality to have. Kenpachi had noticed it many centuries back. Now it was growing worse. Yamamoto was growing a little too comfortable for his boots. Alas, it seemed that he had been in the position of head captain for a little too long. Someone or something needed to knock him right off of his high horse. Kenpachi had been thinking about giving him a good pounding. In the long run that would have been a lot safer. But then Yamamoto would have most likely given him the hiding of a lifetime. And when the head captain was serious, he even unnerved Kenpachi. But now Yamamoto was not that way, he was cocky. There was no doubt that it had something to do with the fact that Yamamoto knew who he was facing. He knew this enemy, thus he felt that he already won the battle before it was over.

This pride thing was something which the other captains noticed eventually. Well only after the head captain collapsed without warning. Now, this was not something they had expected. Their first instinct was to step in, but they hesitated. They were waiting for orders. They did not want to face the anger of Yamamoto. So they waited and they waited and they waited. They could not quite fathom exactly what was happening. Some of them felt embarrassed to stand on the sidelines. But they also recalled how adamant Yamamoto had been to deal with the enemies. Yet now the head captain was the one passed out on the group and the enemies were standing tall. Yes, these enemies were now starting to brandish their weapons. The smiles on their faces was definitely an unsettling sight to see. Somehow these needles had in effect neutralised the head captain. There had not even been a proper fight for such a thing to even be possible. But it was. Someone had planned out this battle very well. Someone seemed to know their weakness very well. Thus proving Kenpachi's theory about them have traitors in their midst.

"What do we do now Kyōraku, it's not as if we can wait for the head captain to give us orders!" Soi Fon asked thus breaking the silence that had hung over their heads. Though from Shunsui's reddening face, it looked like he did not quite appreciate the gesture. In fact, it seemed that he wanted to step back and let someone else take the lead. But that did not seem possible. Indeed even though they were all captains. There was no doubt that Shunsui, Jūshirō and Retsu had more authority due to their seniority.

"They poisoned him. I can't believe that they actually managed to poison him. Hey Jū has sensei always been this hard-headed"

Alas, it seemed that Jūshirō was still not quite there, or he refused to speak with him. He did not know why his friend was in such a foul mood. It worried him more about why the look on Jūshirō's face was one that could kill. In fact, if Shunsui had his way, he would step back from the war altogether and interrogate his friend. His friend, his best friend was hiding something from him and it was it not something that he appreciated.

"Kyōraku, now is not the time for you to wander off. Now is the time for you to take the lead"

Shunsui was still not such how to respond to Soi Fon. Then again, he did not even want to deal with her at that moment. And whilst he failed to give the answer they were all now craving, Retsu Unohana did not:

"It is all quite straightforward what we must do. We must annihilate them"

Many of the captains cringed with the menacing way in which Retsu had said annihilate. The healer was turning into one scary woman. So scary in fact that she was the first one to draw her shikai ready for battle. And that dark complexion on her face was one that looked hurry for blood. It was one that Kenpachi actually felt turned on by. Though once Retsu had taken the first step, one by one the other captains did the same. Their shikais sprung to life ready for battle. Some of them still worried if the enemy had another dirty trick up their sleeve. But as the enemy army came charging towards them. The twelve remaining captains knew that if they wanted to return to their divisions. Well, they would have to cut down every single enemy that crossed their path.

...

Everyone expected Shunsui to step up to the plate. He was the one who was of the best of health. He was the senior captain. Jūshirō was at his level. Yes, that was true, but most saw him as too frail to take charge. Or they did not want to both him. Retsu Unohana, now she was not one that anyone expected to take over. She was always the one who seemed demure. She was the healer. She was the one who hands healed not hurt. But from the flying fury, she applies whilst charging into battle. Well many of them were even starting to compare her to none other than Kenpachi.

Indeed she was the one who many expected not to be a fighter. She was the one who usually stayed on the sidelines. Now she charged into battle with her zanpakutō drawn. She was the one who faced one enemy after another. She was the one to delve right into the frenzy of battle. Too many captains who followed after her, well it was a terrifying sight. Though to one captain, it provided a different feeling. A feeling which one may associate with none other than lust.

Who was the captain you might ask? It was not the younger captains, no they would not have dared to approach Retsu. Especially not in her current state of frenzy. They feared that she would cut them down. It was something that she was desperate to do with the enemies. But at most, she was clashing blades with them at the moment. Yes, these enemy reapers and visoreds were in some cases a lot more power than captains. This proved to be a terrifying phenomenon for them to acknowledge. It some of them even realise that these enemy forces were not acting alone. It could be that there was a higher power who had been watching them for a long time. But for now, those thoughts went on the back-burner. Instead, Kenpachi's mind became clouded with something he could only connect to obsession. But unlike the war mania, he sometimes succumbed to, this feeling affected him from down below. Yes, he was the one caught up in the feelings of lust. Yet this was not something he quite understood. After all, it was well known that he was not the sociable type. As for seeking female companions, well no one had been worthy until now.

With all these romantic couples across the soul society and the resulting children. Well, there was no doubt that it had also weighed on Kenpachi's mind. At first, he brushed it off as nonsense. But with the recent birth of Yachiru's child. Kenpachi was starting to think about things in an alternative light. He had wanted to beat Ikkaku to a pulp. He found himself not being able to follow through on his threat. Not when his third stepped up to the role of lieutenant, stopped his rash fights all to prove himself a worthy father. Then again the punk was also looking to Kenpachi to get permission to marry Yachiru. And if they survived this war, well Kenpachi would most likely concede.

Yes, Retsu and Kenpachi were the first ones to get their freak on. Not in the intimate sense, no even Kenpachi could sense that getting close to Retsu was not a good idea. She would most likely see him as the enemy in her current fighting state. Plus Kenpachi was also starting to feel way out of her league. The best option, for now, seemed to be tag teaming. After all, many other captains were also starting to do the same.

A prominent group of fighters were none other than the captains of squad three, five and nine. They had banded together now because they had done so in the past. What they knew though were available only in the Seireitei files. This information had only been available for them from the time they had become captains. Most of the information unsettled them, after all, it was not as if they had the memories to fall back on. Indeed through the reincarnation cycle, their slates were now clean. But had not stopped them from reclaiming their old identities only so they could rebuild their image.

The other tag team was one that everyone knew and recognised. Yes, it was none other then Jūshirō and Shunsui in their full glory fighting side by side. Too many of the thirteen court guard squads, those two were more the deputies then anyone else. Sure Yamamoto had a lieutenant but most did not know or talk about him. No, when the soul society thought of the soul reapers it was always those two men that came to mind. After all, they were the epitome of knowledge, wisdom and power.

The two were well seasoned no doubt, but fighting was not one their mind. Shunsui would not have gone into battle had Jūshirō not done so. Then again Jūshirō had only taken up his blade so to avoid Shunsui. Yes, they were the souls who were brothers in everything but name and blood. They held esteemed reputations both as captains and nobles. The soul society had always seemed to hold an important place for the Ukitake and the Kyōraku clans. Though no one in the soul society could quite remember exactly why that was.

The captains remaining also fought, some alone, some in teams. They all had their shikais on high alert. That was something which they were sure would be enough. Many of them were still convinced that defeat was not possible. They viewed Yamamoto's fate as nothing but a use of underhanded tactics. They had taken him back into the squad one barracks. From there, Yamamoto's lieutenant watched over him. They knew he was not dead, he snoring proved him otherwise. It was due to the poison, one that needed treatment for him to wake. Incapacitated and unable to fight, the head captain was useless in this battle. That was something that had no doubt been the enemy's plan.

...

The battle continued, that was a given, but so did Kenpachi's fantasies. Yes, that was the only thing that he could call them. He was starting to find it rather annoying how distracted he was. He knew the reason. He also knew that in normal circumstances he would have fled from her side to clear his head. This was how he dealt with most things that he had no idea how to cope with. but he could not flee now. He was in battle. If he fled now, bot only would the enemy see him as a weak, but the other captains too. That was something that he could not tolerate.

But these thoughts, these hyped up fantasies, they were not going away. That was most likely down to one of the weaknesses when it came to his battle strategy. He fought with his body, he fought with on instinct. This was what most called being a brute. Most other captains spent hours planning out tactics within their minds. Heck, Sōsuke Aizen was famous for doing that. Delilah had learnt to do that too. But then Delilah also fought like Kenpachi did at times. This was something which to this day, Kenpachi admired a great deal.

Thinking of Delilah, she had her sweetheart from the very beginning. Yes, he saw that he saw how Gin had followed her around like a vampire stalking prey. Not that Gin showed any of those qualities to Delilah. That fox, he was a sneaky one. Kenpachi did not know whether to like or dislike the guy. He admired him, admired his loyalty that was. But Kenpachi still gritted his teeth together remembering that one encounter. Kenpachi was sure he had him. That was where he was wrong. Gin got one up on him and that was the first time Kenpachi ever found himself in a bind.

Delilah and Gin, that was a relationship that most had not seen. Then again most had not wanted to see it. Just like most would likely not want to see the healing matriarch together with a brute like him. That would sure set off a lot of chatter and rumours across the soul society. Yes, that was the one bad thing about having connections outside the Seireitei. Anything big that happened in the Seireitei would leak out in one way or another. Indeed with Delilah not present, the stardom had fallen to the captains.

Yes, Delilah was still the star, she was still spoken about as if she had only left yesterday. In fact, it had been over a thousand years. Kenpachi wondered why so much time had passed. Had Delilah forgotten about them? No, she was most likely busy. She could have kids even. Thinking about kids also made some very strange thoughts cross Kenpachi's mind. Yes, he even dared to think about what would little Kenpachi look like with Retsu. They would be fighters that was for sure. In fact, they would most likely tear up the Seireitei.

Talking about tearing up things up, it seemed that the captains were actually doing a good job. The enemies seemed to be falling now, one by one by one. They had been real buggers, they had. They had been powerful, but the captains were still besting them. The hollow type soul reapers seemed weaker then they had first realised. Kenpachi realised that they had underestimated the enemy all along. Indeed, many other captains were starting to think the same.

"Well, that seems like a waste of time to get worked up." Kenpachi heard Retsu mutter. Yes her voice still sounded harsh, dark even. The disappointment which lingered was one Kenpachi recognised. It was something he experienced when his battles had been less fulfilling then he wanted. Then again that was the case with many of the battles that he had had. Most of the Seireitei were either too weak or disinterested in fighting with him. There was that mentality of not engaging with brute monsters. The logical side of Kenpachi wanted to test Retsu after seeing her fight. His body stopped him in his tracks. Lust was still clinging to his body after all.

"It looks like all those scumbags had after everything was tricks"

By now the other captains were starting to join up with Kenpachi and Retsu. Kenpachi fought the urge to gag when they seemed to be engaging in pat on the back contests. This was no something he did. It was self-aggrandising. If you had strength, then you had to show it. If you had to advertise it, it would make others think you had less to offer. That was how Kenpachi thought. Some would call it modest. And for once Kenpachi would agree that in some cases he did not like to boast about his abilities. That was also something that the other captains should have done. They celebrated the victory in a war which was only beginning. The enemy was stepping things up now, they had upped their game. After all, moments later, they went off. Yes, bombs spread out all across the Seireitei. Things were getting serious now. Kenpachi realised much to the horror of many others that the enemy was everywhere. They had the number, boy did they have them. This was something that even unsettled the thirteenth captain. Then again, the look on Jūshirō's face had been unsettling for them all. It made Kenpachi wonder if Retsu was not the only captain capable of going full Kenpachi on him.

But now was not the time for idle thoughts. Now was not the time for celebration. After all, with the second way of enemy forces on top of them, it was obvious that there was still a lot more to come. This wave though had been a lot more powerful than the last batch. There were most visoreds and even menos grande this time. It seemed that the enemy had the numbers to spare, thus it formed a question within Kenpachi's mind. With so many numbers, why did the enemy not go ahead and wipe them out? That would, after all, be a lot more practical than holding them back only for the sake of it.

 **Hello everyone the battle has really started now. Kenpachi seemed to be the one most distracted. Until next week!**


	6. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 5

**Welcome back everyone, I hope you have all had a productive week. Now I have not got any reviews for the last chapter, so I am not sure how it was received. Is this multiple POV working? So please read and review!**

When the captain was away her squad members did play. Yes, Marechiyo Ōmaeda was living the high life. His captain was not here breathing down his neck, no she was away. She was at the head captain's meeting. It was the only time that Ōmaeda could think of his captain not hovering over him, watching his every move. Sometimes Soi Fon needed to lighten up. Her predecessor, Yoruichi Shihōin, yes she had known how to relax. But now that noble was away in the royal realm serving the soul princess, Delilah.

That soul was an enigma. At first, his clan had reviled her. It had become even worse when they learnt of her royal heritage. It was still a novelty for his clan members that someone of such noble blood to be a warrior. But Delilah had done it, she was the best at it. In fact, if it were not for her royal blood. It would not have surprised Marechiyo if Delilah would have become the head captain. But then again, Yamamoto was rather possessive of his position. So it could be that there would have been some sort of conflict if that were to ever happen.

No Delilah's duties had lain elsewhere. Her duties lay with her maternal clan. Likewise, Marechiyo's duties lay with doing paperwork. A part of him had debated on letting it pass, indeed he felt like pulling a Shunsui. But then again, if his captain returned to piles of paper. Well, there was a high chance that she would purge his food supply. Or even worse, she would go through the budget lists herself to comply cut out on his special deliveries. The budget may have come from his family. But his family's wealth had come from none other than the Shihōin clan. It was a forgotten fact that the Ōmaedas were the vassals.

Yes the vassal clans, now that was something that Marechiyo never quite experienced. In these times, it was usually a symbolic gesture. After all, the noble clans had ceased their apprenticeships in favour of the academy. Marechiyo had been one of the younger generations to train in the academy. In his opinion, it was a boring experience. Being an apprentice may have been a better option. If he had gone on that pathway, he might have been able to avoid all this paperwork.

Paperwork was paperwork, but numbers, well that only served to give him a right headache. Most would have lied down. Some would have gone crying to the fourth squad. There had been some third seats from other divisions who had ended up in such situations. But what Marechiyo did was his own form of relief. What he did was to reach into his drawer and pull out a bag of potato chips at random. His captain knew about this drawer. She pulled faced whenever he opened it. But so long as he did not get crumbles everywhere, well she left it alone, for now.

Aside from his gorging, there was another thing that got on his captain's nerves. It was actually a habit that Marechiyo was trying to fix, to little avail, and that was his bad handwriting. Yes, that was a big reason why he abhorred paperwork. He had to complete them in ink pen, that smudged. So he had to write slower to reduce those chances and make his writing legible. This was something that his captain had begged him to do after so many complaints. He was doing it now, but he did not expect her to take notice of his efforts.

The first item on the list was to do with the schedules. Yes, Soi Fon did love her schedules. Marechiyo could not stand them. He had considered holing up in his family estate to rest at times. But that was the thing, his family would not allow him. They were still very much into the idea of serving their master clan the Shihōins. That extended to upholding the day to day functions of the second division. His father before him had worked for Yoruichi. He had taken great pride in making everything run like a well-oiled machine. Marechiyo's efforts paled in comparison to that. If he were in the world of the living, some may even call him dyslexic.

So schedules, Marechiyo checked them and checked them again. He crossed references the logs from the previous months and even the years. As expected everything seemed to match up, so he signed them off. He went through each of them from the elite assassins to the prison guards. Yes, it was true, the second division did double up as the law enforcement division at times. Though the second division tended to deal with those of the lower classes. Those of the upper classes, well that was something that Byakuya usually dealt with. That was something that he was completely okay with. After all, it was well known that the Kuchiki clan were the keeper of records. It was why the soul society revered them of course. Even Marechiyo respected them for it. Though that did not explain why Byakuya had not known of the bat about Delilah's royal heritage.

Speaking of her heritage, there was something that Marechiyo would admit. Yes, he would confess that he had read into the Kishimioro clan. Those books had become available more or less from the time that Delilah had ascended to the royal realm. Those were books that the soul king had made available to the Kuchiki clan. Byakuya had been all too willing to share that information at that point. But as Marechiyo continued to struggle with his writing, his mind continued to wonder. He wondered, even with his difficulty in making patterns. He was picking up on a constant inconsistency. It was a question that gnawed at him. It was a question that Marechiyo wondered why others were not asking. And that was the lack of any mention of the Kishimioro clan existing before the soul king himself.

...

Yes, so many questions Marechiyo had, would he get answers to them, most likely not. He was of a noble clan, yes that was true. He had money, yes that was also true. But he was not in the upper echelons of nobility. His clan was still a vassal clan. Then again most of the lower ranked clans were vassals anyway. In fact, from his own classes, he had learnt that once upon a time there had been more clans in his noble ranking. That had also been the time when the vassalage system was more prevalent. It was not a time Marechiyo was familiar with. Yet he still could not help but wonder...

...wonder why he had not noticed all the crumbles which had sprayed out across his paperwork.

"Damn it!" he cried out for no one to hear. He was alone, this was a study that he shared with his captain. Others did not work here, they had their own stations and their own areas to manage. Marechiyo was the overseer of this. It was the same thing that his father had done before him. He had taught Marechiyo to continue, but most times Marechiyo wondered if Soi Fon was right. After all, here he was wiping off the desk before the crumbles made him smudge anything important.

Soi Fon viewed him as a slob who could not see past his nose. He knew she was referring to his eating habit. Some outside the division snickered at his size, but his captain did not. That was something that even she knew ran within the family. As for not seeing things, well Soi Fon may have had a point there too. Well, she did until that day and that time. The time when Marechiyo got his hands on the latest Intel documents in relation to the Maggot's Nest.

Ah, the Maggot's Nest that was the place that could give anyone the creeps, even Marechiyo. His captain called him out for being a scaredy cat. But then it was not as if Soi Fon had ever ventured down to that prison herself. She relied on reports, that was how she choose to run things. Yoruichi had been the more hands-on type of captain, Soi Fon was not. It could be that she still was not quite ready to leave her superior's shadow. But being more like Yoruichi may have stopped what Marechiyo was now starting to notice.

What was he starting to see? Better yet, what was it that he did not want to see? Well, that was none other than the decreasing numbers of prisoners. Most would rejoice from the first numbers they saw, Marechiyo did not. After all, it was not the number of admissions that worried him. No those numbers had not changed at all. Instead, it was the other numbers, the numbers of prisoners leaving. From what Marechiyo could recall, no one could leave the squads. So those in the Maggot's Nest could only re-enter the squads and not leave. But there were no papers included of where these souls had ended up. Marechiyo looked, he looked to see if they had become extra fighters for Kenpachi, or healers. But then again, the influx of students had not necessitated the need for more officers. So for these numbers to decrease, well that was something strange. For them to decrease at such a rapid pace, well that was starting to set off some alarm bells. The numbers did not add up. Marechiyo though that someone was playing a trick on him. But that did not stop him from ending up in the archives basement.

Ah the archives basement, now that was a dusty place. It existed, the Shihōin clan had installed. But did Soi Fon come down here, never, had Yoruichi, Marechiyo was not sure. Then again, Yoruichi had passed onto the royal realm a few centuries ago, so that could explain the dust. But that was not what was important, no Marechiyo was here on a mission. He was here to make sure that his mind was not running away with itself. He was here to make sure that the numbers he had seen were errors and not fact.

The basement was no magnificent place. It was a place that made breathing a difficulty. It was no luxury parlour like in the Kuchiki home. It was a dumping ground. No everything was not on the floor but it was in bookcases. Most things were not even categorised in the correct way. This made Marechiyo's job more difficult. So difficult that he had to spend a good few hours gathering together all the needed documents. Many in his position would have given up. Marechiyo did not. And that only lead him to take a least three boxes back to his desk.

Once there, he began to sort through the papers and make notes of the numbers. The numbers were important, very much so. Everything relating to the Maggot's Nest he looked at. It was something that was spurring him forward. He had never felt so eager in years. But then again, leaving well enough alone may have been the better choice. After all, when he put the numbers on a timeline. His fears were soon confirmed. Yes, the number of prisoners from the Maggot's Nest had been decreasing. It had started as a trickle and had now become a flood. And that was when Marechiyo knew that he could not beat about the bush any longer. Something was going on in the Maggot's Nest, something that needed investigation. If his captain was around, he would have gone running to her. She was in the squad one barracks. All the captains were there. But then this was something which all the captains would no doubt want to know. Soi Fon would end up beating him to a bloody pulp. But Marechiyo was starting to see that this was an emergency, even if he wished it was not. Now he had to get a butterfly without causing too much of a stir.

...

Marechiyo was no criminal, not even according to the records of squad two. In fact, if he was, he would have been under house arrest rather than in the position of lieutenant. So he may not have been guilty, but he acted like it. After all, sneaking around sure showed that he had something to hide. Yes, that was true. But Marechiyo had a reason to sneak around like a thief. He did not want to cause alarm. He needed direction before he could do anything. He was sitting on information that if not dealt with could endanger them all.

So the first thing on the list was to sneak into the butterfly sanctuary. Situated at the far end of the squad two barracks, it was a place that Marechiyo visited on rare occasion. Lower ranked soul reapers were the ones who did that sort of work. They came here to select a butterfly for those higher up. Marechiyo himself had given the command a few times in the past. Now he was the one doing the legwork. But even with his fumbling nature. His determination to do this right stopped him from crashing into some of the glass cages.

The hall itself had cages and habitats, perfect for all insects but only used for the butterflies. These were special creatures, modified creatures provided by squad twelve. Kisuke Urahara had been the first to commission them. It had been his ticket to the royal realm after all. And it was Mayuri Kurotsuchi who had maintained Kisuke's legacy. Those two soul reapers had a peculiar relationship. Mayuri never seemed to speak about Kisuke, but if anyone said anything against the blonde. They would feel Mayuri's wraith. Now Mayuri was not the violent type. But all soul reapers could agree that being a test subject was a far worse fate.

Marechiyo took the first cage, opened it, got out the message preparing to speak. But before he could even speak. He noticed how restless the butterflies seemed. Something was wrong, it had to be for them acting so strange. And Marechiyo only figured out what it was when it hit him hard. The shaking. It was so hard that Marechiyo found himself stumbling forward. It had all been so sudden that even his chosen butterfly messenger flew away in the chaos of it all.

That one butterfly getting away was not the worst of it though. No, it was the other cages beginning to shake and topple that was even worse. Marechiyo may have attempted to run away and hold them down. But with the increased shaking, it was not as if he could move all that much without falling over. So may have thought that all this shaking came from the ground underneath their feet. But even with his untrained mind, his senses were on high alert. As they warned him that there was something heavy in the air. Something that knocked them over from the impact and even weighed on their heart.

With the increased shaking, the butterflies grew more restless. Most were calm, but that did not stop them from flying up. At first, their flying had been easy. But even found themselves pressed down by the density that gripped the air. It was one that wanted to pushed Marechiyo right down the floor. It was a great power, it was extreme power. So extreme that Marechiyo was starting to think that sending an alert was no longer worth it. After all, the enemies were no doubt already laying siege to the soul society. He would have never considered such great power to come from an ally.

All the allies that Marechiyo knew would not lose control like this. It was only something the enemy would do to instil fear. Some might ask where the enemy would get so much power. Well, Marechiyo already knew that they had the numbers. The Maggot's Nest reports were clear on that. Yet this enemy was smart, this enemy was close. This enemy had been watching the Seireitei for a very long time. And this was something that shook Marechiyo right to the core. How could the enemy remain hidden in plain sight for so long?

So Marechiyo continued to think. He watched, he stood still, wondering, wondering when the shaking would stop. Marechiyo did not think that the enemy could keep this shaking up for long. It mattered not how many soul reapers had switched sides. Yes, Marechiyo knew that this shaking was to do with reiatsu. After all, many menos grande were also capable of such a feet. Mind you it was not as grand to grip and spread across the whole of the soul society. It showed Marechiyo that whoever this enemy was, they had devastating power.

For a moment Marechiyo thought that the shaking had concluded. That was when it got worse, that was not when he should have moved. Such a move lead himself to fall flat on his stomach. Soi Fon would laugh at seeing him now, calling him many derogatory names no doubt. Even if it did not quite click for a while that Soi Fon was also going through the same thing. In fact, everyone was. Though Marechiyo only realised this once he spied out the closest radio. He had hoped that the warning alarm would sound. It did not, so he turned to listen to the radio as that might give him more answers.

Now, this was like an emergency broadcasting system. One that Mayuri had installed but never implemented, until now. The butterfly was the favourite, but this newer system was more practical. One that could reach everyone across the whole of the soul society. So it was no surprise now that many in the soul society were trying to contact the squads without much avail. Marechiyo heard their panic, but could not quite establish what was going on. Suggesting that some had been tampering with these backup communication lines.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This might have been the first time that Marechiyo thought about more then just food. As for the next chapter, well that will take us to none other then Renji and Rukia. Here's wondering what they are up to.**


	7. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 6

**Thank you Windblade67 for your review! It is good to hear from you again. I always thought that I could write a part two for Hidden In Plain Sight but I was not sure exactly how to start. From what I can see you have managed to understand more or less what has happened so far. Even I didn't realise that I had come so far along in the story. I guess I am still getting accustomed to writing longer chapters and thus having more things happening. Also you seem to remember part one very well. You are very smart to notice that the Maggot's Nest is a distraction from the real enemies within the Seireitei. Not going say any more than that but it gives me hope that this is something which has been understood. There has also been a time skip since part two, hence Delilah's children and Yachiru and Ikkaku having a child. The whole Kenpachi and Unohana thing seemed appropriate given what was revealed in the last arc of the Bleach manga. I did not follow it very closely but I kind of know how things turned out. As for Aizen being definitively dead well I am not entirely sure about that. Resurrection seems to be a big thing in anime/manga so if I did a major thing like that to also bring back other characters I am not sure if it will add or cheapen the story. No I will not kill Delilah and Gin's children, in fact I do plan to dedicate one arc to them. Peace and order will return to the Seireitei properly this time as I realised that I can answer one of the big unanswered questions from part one. It does not seem right to spoil the revelation via a reply. As for the POVE thing, would you consider more of what I have written so far to be Narrator POV? So once again thank you for your review, I really appreciate it. It is good that you are still around, you were and still remain one of my most supportive readers. Until next time :)**

The sixth division was the squad of the nobles. It was the squad that worshipped rules and the status quo. It was the squad where no one stepped out of place. Yet it seemed that a certain red-haired lieutenant seemed unaware of those rules. Or could it be his Kuchiki wife that had appeared in his office a few hours before? Renji had been doing his duties exactly like Byakuya wanted to. But when Rukia had appeared all that had gone up in the air. Now they were on top of his desk, with their lips latched onto each other. And since the boss, Byakuya was away, the young couple could play.

Now they knew better than to actually get hot and heavy. That would be an embarrassing scene if anyone came knocking on the door to find them in a state of undress. So they had settled for the next best thing, making out. The world expected them to be prim and proper. But there were event times when they wanted to let their hair down. Yet with their stations, they knew better than to show such affection in public. If they did then Byakuya would throw as a gasket.

They continued to lock lips and explore each other's mouths. Rukia even let out a moan, one that caused Renji to react. His body wanted to claim her, to dominate her. But before he could let himself get that far, he snapped out of it. He pulled away from Rukia, which elicited a mewl from his raven-haired wife. His wife gave him the biggest puppy dog eyes to reassume their make-out session. Renji knew better than to do that. He did not want to go all the way, no here, not when anyone could walk in on them.

"Come on Rukia, our captains may be away, but they do still expect us to keep everything moving along"

Rukia gave Renji her grandest pout. Oh, how Renji wanted to nip at the bottom of her lip. But he abstained, he imagined Byakuya's raging face. That was a huge shock of fear to get rid of his excitement. Byakuya may have let them get married, but that did not mean that he had let loose. Even though, it was long overdue.

"Look at my bad boy trying to be a good boy and follow the rules"

Renji cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at Rukia. Her response was to pull back for Renji, crossed her arms and give out a loud hmph! Yes, she was close, close to acting like a noblewoman on the brink of throwing a tantrum for not getting her way. But Renji knew exactly what to say to put the brakes on her actions:

"And here I thought that we were the adults in this equitation, Rukia"

Rukia still crossed her arms, she still gave him a sore face, but she did not wail. Rather she signed and responded in a calmed down voice.

"I guess you are right. But as of late, it seems that only our twins are getting all the fun. We are the ones who had to clean up their messes. I only hoped that we could be the carefree ones for once"

Renji gave Rukia a sly smile:

"Our twins are babies, they've got that going for them in their troublemaking ways. We're adults. If we started acting like the twins then Byakuya may actually have a heart attack. Goodness knows how many times the twins have brought him to the brink"

After Renji's words, Rukia was no longer pouting. No, she was smiling now, so much now that she even burst out laughing. It was a beautiful sound to Renji's ears. It reminded him once again that he had the talent to let others loosen up. His jokester ways worked on many but not on Byakuya.

"Ah yes I suppose we should follow big brother's rules. Without him, we would get no free time. He was the one who had tutors brought in to teach and take care of the twins after all"

Renji gave Rukia a crooked smile. This development was a very recent one. It was one that Renji often thought benefited Byakuya before anyone else.

"The tutors, well they are like sticks in the mud. The twins sure are giving them a run of their patience. It is little wonder why the tutors have not given up yet"

Rukia giggled a little:

"No it's true they have not. But they do cheat a little in their duties. When we are in the Kuchiki manor, the twins do come crawling to us. The tutors take that as a chance to breathe. It could be that big brother had it planned that way so that we would not fully escape the terrible nines. Do you not think that it is a little suspicious that Byakuya is never around when we have to look after the twins?"

Now it was Renji's time to laugh out loud. This was a question that he knew the answer to long ago.

"Of course Byakuya sneaks away when the twins are around. He did not exactly cope when he tried to discipline the twins. They ran circles around him. They might have even managed to outsmart him a few times..."

"Ah I get it now, big brother brought in the tutors more for his own sanity then ours. The twins may be his heirs for the moment. But even he knew when he had to skedaddle when the going got tough"

Renji nodded his head adding:

"The twins are the Kuchiki heirs for now, but sometimes I wonder if they are up to becoming noble folk"

It was Rukia's turn to narrow her eyes now:

"Yes, I suppose the twins have the rukongai spirit pulsing within them. The Kuchiki elders can see this too, but they know better than to air their complaints. It is well known how hard many of them fought to allow me into the clan. And if Delilah had not stood as witness to our marriage. They would have called our marriage illegitimate"

...

No matter how true those words were, Renji still cringed as if he had walked right into a freezer. Byakuya may have permitted the marriage between him and Rukia to take place. But that did not mean that Byakuya had got everyone on board. His captain had loosened up a little, most likely because of Delilah's influence. Or it could have been Gin. He seemed to be able to switch from serious to playful in the blink of an eye. The soul society respected his marriage to Delilah. Then again, Gin could have faced what Renji now did had the soul king not made Gin a lord. And then a thought crossed Renji's mind.

"Could it be that deep down Byakuya is a rebel? Could that be the reason why he allowed our marriage to go through?"

Renji looked to Rukia who in turn gave him a very mischievous smile. It was at that moment that Renji wondered if the twins rambunctious came more from Rukia's side then it did his.

"A rebel, you say? Big brother, a rebel? Yes, you might have a point there. Do you think we could somehow use that to our advantage? The elders want Byakuya to get a wife but he rejects their wishes. Maybe we could do something about that. Goodness knows a little personal time with his wifey might get him to loosen up a little more"

Yes, that mischievous smile on Rukia's face was now going into a full-blown scheming mode. It was the same look that alerted Renji to knowing that the twins were up to something. Their pranks were starting to get quite serious too. So if their mother had such a fiendish spirit too. Renji was curious if Rukia could match their trickster nature too.

"What would you suggest wifey?" Renji responded with a light tease.

Rukia pouted, yes she got his joke of 'wifey' in an instant. And she even proceeded to put on uppity voice.

"Well, I was thinking that we should compile a list of all the eligible noble ladies. We should then vet them and put them up for blind dates with Byakuya"

Renji's instinct was to facepalm, but he restrained himself from doing it. He did not want to hurt Rukia's feelings. But it seemed that whilst Rukia did have a sneaky streak. She had not thought things through.

"Ah yes but unless it is you, Byakuya does not fair well with the opposite sex. He views them as nuisances. Did he not destroy the pool that the women's association built in the backyard?"

Rukia's face went from mischievous gleam to red in the face from embarrassment. Yes, it seemed that this was something that Rukia had wanted to forget. So much so that she drew out her zanpakutō, announcing:

"Wipe that grin off your face Renji before I do it for you!"

Renji put his hands up in defence, but looked at her still very much amused:

"Come on Rukia, there is no need to get all offensive. You act like our twins when they get into a tight spot. It is little wonder that Byakuya actually manages to put up with us. He seems to be antisocial to both women and children. So it might be a good idea if we acted a little more like adults"

Rukia sheathed her zanpakutō before letting out an exaggerated sigh:

"There you go bursting my bubble. How could you Renji, how could you?"

Renji knew that Rukia's sniffs were play acting. So he played along, responding in a melodramatic voice:

"Oh Rukia, Rukia, you do wound me so"

Rukia then looked up, and lunged herself at Renji once more peaking him on the lips. Renji returned the favour as they returned to their make-out session once more. Rukia was speeding along now. And as Renji became aroused again, that was when the solution crossed his mind. It was so sudden that he broke off the kiss. Rukia returned the favour by hitting him on the head.

"Ow Rukia, you're the women here. Shouldn't you be a little more gentle"

Rukia cocked her head:

"If we had been gentle in the Rukkon district, do you think we would have survived?"

Renji rubbed the back of his head:

"Probably not. But sometimes being soft and sneaky has a lot more of an impact. After all, we both know a captain who could overcome any opponent with such skills"

Rukia looked up at him, as her eyes went wide. He was certain that a light bulb had gone off in that head of hers.

"You mean Gin. Yeah, he was always a sly one. It is not that surprising that Kurotsuchi gave him the title vampire. He sure liked to stalk his prey and he knew how to disarm them without much hassle. That is something which Zaraki refuses to admit until this day"

When Renji thought of Gin as a stalker that conjured up an image of Delilah with Gin not being far behind. If anything that was why Kurotsuchi had given Gin such a name. Renji had thought it was a bit creepy at first. But as he observed them he realised that they had cared for one another a great deal. So for them to end up married, well that was something that all captains had seen from a mile off. Gin and Delilah's marriage had been so grand it had become a part of the historical curriculum. But then there were no signs of how they lived now. Those two lovers had waltzed off to the royal realm never to be seen again. For all Renji knew, the two of them were now wrangling their own children. Though with Gin's playful nature and ability to connect with kids. Renji was sure that he was doing a better job then he and Rukia were. And from the thoughtful look on Rukia's face, it seemed that she was also thinking the same thing:

"If Gin were around, I sure would give the twins a run for their money. But then again, he might also give us a few points of how we can reach out to them as well"

"And he might also be able to give Byakuya some pointers on how to connect with women". Renji added.

...

"Oh yes Gin would be the one to ask, he was the perfect chameleon after everything. It is no wonder that he graduated from the academy so early. It is no surprise that he became captain so fast". Rukia mused.

Renji looked down onto his wife with tenderness in his eyes. Yes, Gin was still the enigma. Some considered him creepy, so considered him vile. But he was also the one who ascended far above any of the other soul reapers. He had married right into the highest noble clan. And he had done it was much less resistance then Renji had encountered.

"Yes, that is true. Though I do not think that Gin would have gotten so far without the guiding hand of Captain Aizen".

Rukia gave Renji a lop sided grin. Renji remained oblivious until he realised that was wrong. He realised that Rukia was reacting to him calling Aizen captain.

"Oh come on, Rukia, you know as well as I that me, Izuru and Momo will always call him captain. Nothing will change that the fact that he was our mentor. Not everyone was as lucky as you to have noble connections to get into a squad like the thirteenth".

Rukia gave him a hardened glance:

"Renji are you suggesting that Captain Ukitake is unapproachable. He is one of the most open to new recruits"

Renji could not help but give a little cringe:

"After the strain between Captain Ukitake and Delilah, he seems to have his own issues. Sometimes it's as if he is a little passive-aggressive. Like there is something that he is struggling to come to terms with".

Renji then shut his eyes and braced himself, braced himself for Rukia to go on the offensive. He waited for anything, a shrill shout, a slap in the face, anything... But nothing came, so when he opened his eyes anew, Rukia appeared to be looking towards the floor. Her shoulders seemed to wait to sink right down with her. Something had made her depressed and Renji was starting to worry that he was at fault.

"Umm...uhhh...". Yes, Renji was the one tied for words, but he knew that he had to say something. But words failed him until Rukia gave him a helping hand.

"You do have a point about his passive aggressiveness. But has only been a recent thing...it's like he been having to come to terms with something that has shaken him to the core..."

But Rukia could never quite finish her words, as it was at that moment that it hit them. The earthquake or the shaking, or whatever it was, came at them so hard. It caused them to crash into each other as they both toppled over onto the floor. Neither one could quite find the words to say anything, as they spalled around on the floor. The shaking was so intense they at first struggled to move. And it was Rukia that expressed herself with an array of colourful vocabulary.

"What is the bullocks is going on? What has Mayuri done now? Who blew the head captain of his rocker this time?"

It was all so entertaining that even though Renji found himself crawling on his hands and knees. He still ended up chuckling at his wife's cuss words. She had tried so hard to forget that rude side of her that when she revisited that part of her herself. Well, that self-censor was still there, in case any others of the Kuchiki clan should overhear her.

"Rukia, this is too strong to be one of our captains. There is something in the air what is causing this. It is a heaviness that is not letting me stand up".

Rukia seemed to be trying to do exactly that. But everything she clambered to her feet, the shaking knocked her off balance anew. Yes even as lieutenants, this shaking was no something they could push off. It was such a great power that Renji was beginning to think that it was some kind of warning. And whatever it was, Renji could here the panicked screams of his squad members on the other side of the door. His captain was not there to reestablish order and control. So it was up to him to do it instead. And if he could not walk out of the room, well he would crawl. And crawl he did as he sliced the door open. Rukia followed soon after. That was a good thing because as soon as they got through, the door slammed shut. It seemed that even with everything going on. They would not have to worry about doors flying off their hinges to maim anyone.

No the bookcases, the desks and all other furniture was doing that job. Indeed as Renji and Rukia crawled on ahead. They saw the other members of squad six trying to climb out from under the rubber of all the clutter. Some of them had serious injuries. That was no surprise, those were the ones who had had bookcases fall on top of them. The less injured had come to their rescue. But some of them did not know if they should continue to climb out. Things would keep falling until the shaking would stop. And that was when Renji knew what he had to do, as he called out to them:

"Everyone huddled together and don't move. Held those injured out of the rubble, but form a shield so that no more get injured"

Those closest to Renji had heard his orders. They then passed them onto the next squad member and the next. Indeed it was like a game of Chinese whispers as the message spread across the barracks in a matter of minutes. It resulted in fewer screams and fewer souls running around with no direction. Instead their voices calmed down as they shielded themselves from falling paraphernalia. Neither one of them even attempted to move. If their lieutenant was on his hands and knees, then that was where they would stay too. Yes, everything seemed to have calmed down for now until Renji heard Rukia say:

"Why are there no warning alerts going off? I am sure that this is not only secluded to squad six. The head captain must know what is going on".

Renji did not quite reply to her statement, but he knew the answer. If this shaking had gripped the entire soul society. Well, then the captains were most likely unable to move either. Let alone figure out if this was the act of an enemy or not.

 **So we have come to the end of another chapter. We gained an insight into the married life of a certain red and raved haired couple. It seems that Delilah's screams have really gripped the soul society, though what comes later might just prove to be more devastating. I hope you read and enjoyed this chapter, please drop me a review as they help me know if I am heading in the right direction with their story.**


	8. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 7

**Thank you Windblade67 for your review! Renji and Rukia did actually marry each other in part one so I was just continuing on from there. Yes, I am already starting to think about the twins with Delilah's children. Just like I am thinking about possible pairings between Delilah's children and others in the soul society. Fingers crossed, I get there. Thank you for the point about the narrator and POV characters. As it so happens I believe that this chapter will have more POV slant on it as I start leaving breadcrumbs for events to come. I truly appreciate your reviews as they make me feel as if I am moving in the right direction. Until next time!**

Nanao Ise, the lieutenant of the eighth division, was somewhere most unexpected. She was sitting at her captain's desk. She was the one who would usually hunt down her captain to come back. She was no the one who would sit down at Shunsui's desk to take over his job altogether. Okay, so she could not fight the good fight like he could. But she was a whizz when it came to the administration side of things. So that was what she did, where Shunsui failed, she took over. But these sets of development had been recent, very recent indeed.

Nanao was the genius when it came to paperwork, it was what many knew her for. Many young soul reapers trained under her before joining other squads. That was a responsibility that Nanao was very serious about. Yet even with having put many other soul reapers down the right path. She had not had any sort of successes with her captain. No, he had remained as stubborn from the first day the head captain made her his lieutenant. But now Shunsui had changed, no he was not doing his paperwork. But the relationship between Shunsui and Nanao had transformed. It had become intimate.

Many on the outside thought that Shunsui had worn her down over the decades, centuries. Some thought that Nanao was the one who finally made Shunsui snap out of his sake induced stupor. Nanao would laugh whenever anyone made that claim. Shunsui had not stopped drinking, but he had stopped womanising. He had stopped himself from becoming so inebriated to end up in someone else's bed. No that was the Shunsui of the old, the Shunsui of the new. Well, he had a new woman now, one of the most frigid according to the statistics. He had none other than Nanao.

No, their relationship had not been a gradual thing. It had all changed in a flash. Or it could be under the course of one night. And it was all down to that one day when Nanao finally gave up chasing down Shunsui and did the paperwork. Shunsui had instead come looking for her. No doubt wondering at the back of his mind why Nanao had failed to turn up. But when he saw her working away, well he only acted in his most chivalrous way. He invited her along to a fancy dinner and she accepted.

Nanao thought he would take her to the local sake bar. When he took her to the most upstate part of the Seireitei. She even had trouble entering since she felt so low class. The Ise clan may have been a noble clan, but they were no a rich one. Not like the Kyōraku clan that was. In fact, the Ise clan was only known because of the Kyōraku clan. Yet Nanao would not learn the implications of why that way at a much, much later time. Instead, she had to deal with those judgemental eyes at her coming as Shunsui's guest.

That dinner had been exquisite, that was no surprise. No those with money actually put their money where their mouth was. Nanao had taken a small meal. She had tried to only have a drink, but Shunsui insisted on restoring her energies. Nanao relented but felt very uncomfortable with the eyes that followed her. Shunsui took no notice, he struck up a conversation instead. One that proved to Nanao once and for all why he was one of the longest-serving captains. Shunsui sure had the book smarts, he only lacked the patience to use it.

Shunsui ended up taking her down the rabbit hole as Nanao jumped in after him. He took her head first into an intellectual debate in which she struggled to keep up. There were even times when Nanao thought about slipping away. Not to abandon Shunsui, no he was actually beginning to make her feel very warm, very cosy. But rather she wanted to dash back to the barracks so she could double check some fact to keep up with their debate. But then Nanao found that without Shunsui, her leaving would cause a scene. So she stayed only to become further and further enthralled by Shunsui. Would she dare to admit that he was actually making her aroused?

No, she only continued to eat, as Shunsui keep bringing the food. When the wine came, Nanao had a sip, but when she was close to going a little too far. It was Shunsui who stepped in to bring in a beverage like tea. He did not seem all that comfortable to face a drunk Nanao. Nanao might have thrown a fit at his meddling had she not started to fell all hot and flustered with his advances. So much once they returned to their barracks, that when she went wild. That was when instead of a nighttime parting kiss, she was the one who jumped on him.

She still remembered that night. It was so hot, it was sensual that she still felt Shunsui's ever so gentle touches. He was not drunk, she was not drunk. Yet in some ways, Nanao rather wished that she would have been. To this day, it mortified her that she had been the one to take the first step. But it touched her that Shunsui had never made her feel awkward about it. Instead, their relationship only grew from that point. They actually started to work a bit better together as captain and lieutenant. Shunsui had stopped getting drunk out of his mind. He did not stay away for days at a time. No, he preferred to come back every night only to wrap his arms around her. Nanao did not protest with this arrangement. Yes, they shared a bed, but being intimate was becoming less and less of a thing between them. She even ended up accusing Shunsui of finding another woman. That was when he took her somewhere she thought she would never go. He took her to see his parents.

…

Ah yes, Shunsui's parents, they were an uppity bunch. It even made Nanao smirk at how much Shunsui tried to be on his best behaviour around them. Yes as she thought back to the first time she entered the Kyōraku Mansion. Those two exuded such an air of superiority that even Shunsui stopped slouching. At that point, Nanao knew that this could be her perfect leverage to keep Shunsui in line. But with Sōnosuke's manner of address, she too had a reason to be one edge.

"So this is the girl you have been chasing for all this time? What took you so long?".

What, what did I do to tick this old fart off? He is even worse than his son. At least Shunsui has manners. Sōnosuke looks at me like disobedient property who should obey orders. He blames me for being plain harder to get. Well, I will give him a piece of my mind!

But before Nanao could roll up her sleeves to punch the noble, Shunsui pulled her back. He broke the silence and directed his attention to his mother:

"Ah lady mother, I have brought Nanao as you requested".

Sōnosuke was the one who had given Shunsui his good looks. But it was Shunsui's mother with her long black hair and green eyes. There was something a little Ukitake about the warm smile she gave her.

"Why good afternoon dear, it is not a day to celebrate when someone from our cherished Ise clan comes to visit?".

Shunsui's mother grabbed her hand, Nanao blushed not quite sure what to do. So she bowed. Sōnosuke seemed to approve of her subservience. Shunsui's mother was far too preoccupied with dragging her into the nearby tearoom. It was large, plants occupied its edges. There was a low table in the middle, the seating was on the floor. And Shunsui's mother soon had Nanao sipping tea, as Nanao worried she make a fool of herself.

"You bring that girl into our home, a girl which you have bedded but not wedded. Have you no respect for our clan image Shunsui?".

It was at that moment that Nanao saw a flicker of anger appearing on Shunsui's features. Her heart gave a flutter when she thought that Shunsui actually came to her defence. Though she did not know whether to hug him or slap him when Shunsui gave his answer:

"You know I would never force myself on a lady, father. Especially not one of the Ise clan".

Sōnosuke looked at Shunsui then at Nanao and then back at Shunsui. He then went silent, his face seemed to be going red. Though in all fairness, it was Nanao who felt she had something to blush about. Shunsui had aired their private sex to none other than his father. Shunsui's mother did not seem affected at all by the scandal. Instead, she poured the tea, before lifting up her china cup, and declaring:

"Men and their frivolous ways. I propose instead a toast to the new couple and their future children. Breeding with vassal clans is always the second best option to the main noble clans".

Nanao's mind froze when she heard the term vassal clan. Her hand started to shake before she slammed her cup down onto the side table. She looked to Shunsui, then Sōnosuke, then Shunsui's mother. There was something that she had missed and she glared at the Kyōrakus in the room. She was becoming less intimidated by these elders as anger rose to the surface.

"Damn Ukitake woman running her mouth"

Shunsui's mother turned to Sōnosuke giving him her biggest smile before blowing him a kiss.

"Yeah yeah, you know I'm the best for you, sweetie. You know that Ukitakes still make the superior spouses. I could have chosen someone from your other vassal clan..."

Sōnosuke gave his wife his hardest look before letting out a chuckle:

"You know that is not how tradition goes Shiori. Vassal clans remain loyal to their master clans..."

Shiori's smile grew even wider:

"Unless there is an heir with blood from two main noble clans. They get pickings from vassal clans from both sides. We know someone like that...".

Sōnosuke interrupted her with a cough. And this time it was not only Nanao who worried what the older pairing was hiding. Though neither seemed willing to disclose that answer. Instead, Sōnosuke answered Nanao's silent question, the one on her mind about vassal clans:

"All lower class noble clans are vassal clans. The lower class label is a mirage. The Ise clan has always been a vassal clan of the Kyōraku clan. Your prowess in kidō comes from our scriptures. Our other vassal clan were they were masters in battle strategy. But we lost that clan during the split...".

Once again Sōnosuke seemed to avoid a particular subject. So Nanao stepped in to make things easier:

"So the Ise clan is in vassalage to you. Does that mean that I am your servant then? Should I have become an escort for your son instead?".

Shunsui cringed at Nanao's words. Shiori sucked on a biscuit looking mighty amused by the whole situation. And all Sōnosuke could do was to let out a grunt:

"An escort? An escort! No noble clan ever debasing their vassals like that. We take care of you and you give your loyalty and service to us. And now that does not mean becoming one of those misguided ladies in some of the sleazy parts of the soul society. No, we made sure you had the better training than that. When your parents perished in the line of battle, we made sure to afford you the best education".

Nanao's eyes went wide. So she had had benefactors for all this time. She had never thought it would be the Kyōraku clan. And she was starting to grow a little embarrassed when she realised that Sōnosuke was angry at her and not at her. He seemed to care more about her honour in a weird way then she did:

"Now if only Shunsui would have paid a little better attention in his tutoring. He would have followed protocol by granting proper respect to our vassal clan. Going through the traditional courting process should have been the way".

Shunsui let out a snort:

"Tradition, Smedition, I am not my big brother father, how many times do I have to tell you that!?".

…

Back to the present and the question that lingered in Nanao's mind was simple. Would Shunsui make a good father? Yes, it was random. But then that meeting with his parents seemed to be a subtle hint in that direction. She had never thought about cradling a child in her arms. As far as she saw it, Shunsui had been the child. Now he was starting to mature, but that was a recent development. That was something that Nanao still had to accept. Shunsui was a womaniser, he was a beast in bed. But Nanao now understood that Shunsui's flaky nature had been his way to rebel against his father.

Sonusuke has a strange way of doing things. He looked at her with expectations in his eyes. He looked at her like property, but that was because of family lines. But his disdainful looks had not come with accompanying worlds. No, it was Shunsui who had suffered. It seemed that her lover was a sucker when it came to punishment. It was no secret that whenever the head captain asserted his wraith, Shunsui was the one targeted. And whilst Nanao sometimes pitied Shunsui, she wanted to bit his head of too. If there was anyone who ought to have told him about the vassal clans it was him. Since Nanao knew that Shunsui was not as dumb as he acted.

"Damn it Shunsui, did you want me to look like an idiot on purpose!"

Nanao was not expecting an answer, but boy did she get one. As everything in the captain's office started shaking as Nanao felt forward. Now Nanao was one to fight with her hands and not with her sword. So she was not one of those to fall flat on her face when the shaking took hold. The only captain who might have paralleled her was Yoruichi. But then that was understandable seeing as cats tended to land on the feet.

"What has Shunsui gone and done now to invoke the ire of the head captain now?"

Nanao may have tried to keep a straight face when she spoke those words, she failed. Yes, Shunsui was a wild one, especially in the bedroom. So it was no wonder that women went wild for him. Nanao had resisted his charms the longest, but she might never admit that she liked his wild side. She liked to live through his adventures since she would never let others see her letting her hair loose.

"Lieutenant Ise, Lieutenant Ise, we are under attack, we are under attack!"

Nanao recognised that small voice. So much so that she crawled on her hands and knees to open the door. The kid on the other side was a recent graduate of the academy, a girl. In the past, Nanao might have given him a huge scolding for robbing the cradle. But now that Nanao had let her shields down. She realised that Shunsui's intentions were actually a lot more admirable. He brought the new recruits straight under their care not only to make sure their training was top notch. But also her help lesson her and Shunsui's workload to keep squad eight running well. Having five or so little helpers was something that Nanao would not take for granted. Especially when she now knew that Shunsui had a lot more foresight then she could have ever imagined.

"Lieutenant Ise, we are getting ready for war. It's what Captain Kyōraku would expect from us."

That poor girl Nanao thought. When I was her age, Shunsui would always keep me shielded from war. But then again, he still does.

"War...? Has there been any butterflies sent out from the first division?"

Now the young girl looked embarrassed. Even those the two of them were not quite standing, that did not mean that the young one looked down at her. Especially now that many were becoming privy to her relationship with Shunsui. Yes, even Rangiku had come to learn about the latest developments. But then her friend's family life had become so hectic her title as gossip queen failed. Thus rumours spread ten times slower then they had done in the past.

"Well...no...no there has been...there haven't been any alerts from the first divisions..."

Nanao then gripped the way and pulled herself to her feet. It was a painful endeavour especially as the shaking was getting harder to withstand.

"...But...?" Yes, Nanao used that same gentle nudge she had received as a child. Shunsui had been a prominent part of her childhood. But she also remembered that there had been other Kyōrakus too. They seemed to be protecting her, exactly like families would protect each other. And after her meeting with the Kyōraku head, she realised that that was what they were. And with all this new information, Nanao also wondered if the Kyōraku plan was to always set her up with Shunsui.

"But we have been getting calls through from the other divisions. No one knows if we should prepare for war or wait for instructions..."

If only Shunsui were here. If only he had chosen to sleep through the captain's meeting then attend it. Yes, there were thoughts that Nanao dared to think. She may have berated Shunsui on his general laziness. But he was not lazy when it came to the safety of his teammates. He was not lazy when it came to her. In fact, he would not even let her lead the battle or fight. Something that she might end up having to do if this shaking turned out to be a sign of an impending siege.

"Prepare for war..."

Not even Nanao could quite believe the words that came out her mouth. She even doubted if she knew what she was doing. It was hard for her to think that whilst she knew the procedures she had never put them to use. And whilst she tried to approach everything with a sharp mind, the shaking did not help. It was getting worse, much worse. So much so that she held onto all surfaces and walls to join the rest of her squad members in preparation for war.

 **So, we are at the end of another chapter. I apologise for the delayed posting schedule, keep giving me an error when I tried to upload a new chapter. But anyway, this time it was Nanao's turn. Yes, I paired her with Shunsui. I am aware of the revelations in the last arc but I choose to ignore that in my story. I used the Kyōraku/ Ise clan connections in a different way. These breadcrumbs will turn to revelations much later on in the story. Until next Friday!**


	9. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 8

**Thank you Windblade67 for your review! I am glad to hear that you are enjoying the summaries. I am hoping to give a feeling that time has passed and how the soul society has changed. I thought I would start pairing characters together, Kubo left things a little open ended so I am not sure what other readers might be thinking of my choices. I'm pleased to hear that so far they do not seem to disastrous. Yes Nanao is preparing for war. I hope pairing her with Shunsui was not too far fetched. I know that there were certain revelations in the last arc about their true relationship but it was so messy that I decided to go about things in my own way. Anyway I look forwards to when you come back and I get the whole internet thing. Now that I am back in university even I have times when the internet cuts of just when I would need to submit an assignment. Until next time.**

Paperwork, it was the bane of most captain and lieutenants alike. For Shūhei, it reminded him of the time when his paperwork had been next to nothing. Especially when Delilah had been at the helm of the ninth division. She had been a paperwork fan, and she had been his captain. That was something he knew would happen long ago. In a way, he suspected that his previous captain, Kaname Tōsen had moved on to allow that to happen. Yes, there were many things that Tōsen knew. He never divulged when it or they were. But it was important enough for him to accept entrance into Central 46.

If anything Kaname Tōsen was a great observer. He was the one who had started observing things that others had not. He had been the first to figure out the secret relationship that Delilah and Aizen shared. He had predicted that Delilah and Gin would end up to together. Yet these were no things that he made public knowledge. Indeed Shūhei only got a few snippets of the things that Tōsen knew. His captain was very secretive, though his sense of duty was immaculate. Though it seemed that Tōsen was far more beholden to Delilah then to squad nine.

"Daddy...Daddy...DADDY!"

Shūhei looked up from his stack of papers to see the office door swinging open. Then came a certain young lady stomping right on in. She looked red in the face, flustered, annoyed...? Indeed it was none other than his baby girl. She was twelve in appearance and she looked very much like Rangiku. Expect her wavy hair was dark like his and her eyes matched him too. And even if they looked very much alike, that did not mean that they got along. After all, that was one of the main reasons she would come running to him.

"Daaaddddyyyyy...!"

Shūhei got up from his chair, yes he recognised that whinging. He even got his chair and rolled it to the other side to meet the chair on the other side. Yes, everything was in place now, as he saw the red face of his daughter:

"What's got you so worked up, Retsuko?"

Though asking that question seemed not to be the right thing to do. As that was when she went into a full-blown tantrum mode.

"Mummy's really mean. It's not fair. She always says that I should dress up and be a proper lady. She says I shouldn't be messing around with kidō. I wouldn't have to if I could go to the academy."

Shūhei felt like grimacing, but that would not look good in front of Retsuko. No, he had to be the calm and collected parent. Rangiku was the fiery red head who would not back down. He had to be the level headed one trying to ease the tension between the two of them. Yes, it was hard being the man in the family stopping to hot heads from tearing each other to pieces.

"Alright Retsuko, just take a deep breath and take a seat."

Of course, giving the order was not enough, Shūhei actually had to do the legwork and guide her to the chair. Indeed his baby girl got a little more hysterical than Rangiku did when having a tantrum. But she was still little so she might be able to control her overemotional state as she grew older. For the moment though Shūhei would be careful. He would be the guiding father. He would be the one who would one day stop mother and daughter being at odds with one another.

Once seated Shūhei took his place opposite to his child. She had her lip struck out, she seemed to be on the brink of brawling. That was something he had hoped to avoid as they always gave him a huge headache.

"Now Retsuko take a deep breath and tell me slowly what is wrong?"

For a moment there it appeared as if Retsuko was tongue-tied. Then again it could also be that she was struggling with how to be calm about the situation. It was something that Rangiku found difficult to do as well. Indeed it was Gin Ichimaru who had once told him to always been the level-headed on when it came to a Rangiku tantrum.

"Daddy, I wanna go to the academy but Mummy won't let me."

Shūhei sucked his breath in, here came that argument all over again. Sending Retsuko to the academy was a move that he considered, but Rangiku did not. It was not out of malicious intent like their daughter may have thought it was. Rather it was Rangiku's protective nature kicking in. Yes, his wife still wanted their child to remain a child as long as possible. Even if it was leading to escalating arguments between mother and daughter.

"Ah so it's that again, alright you can go."

Retsuko who had been going red in the face preparing for a tantrum to drag him down, open her mouth stunned. Shūhei had really caught her off guard. So much so that her next sentence came out in a stutter:

"I...I can...rea...really...?"

Shūhei did not nod, at least not at first. This was what alerted Retsuko to the fact that there was something else she had to prepare for. Shūhei only hoped to break it to her gently so to not set her off.

"Yes, you can but only on a provisional basis."

Retsuko pressed her lips together. Shūhei could see that she did not understand what he quite meant. He would explain it to her.

"Yes provisional. Your mother thinks that you are still too young to take on the full-time training of a soul reaper. I say I will give you a chance to prove yourself."

And then Retsuko let out a little whine that Shūhei knew she had been desperate to do.

"But Daddy, why only on a test basis. Princess Delilah joined the academy and graduated in a year, and she was about my age too."

Shūhei laughed as a response:

"Ah yes but Delilah had personal training from two captain level soul reapers. You still worry about breaking a nail when things get rough."

Retsuko crossed her arms:

"You saying I wouldn't make a good soul reaper?!"

A thought then crossed Shūhei's mind:

"If you want to prove that you are serious, how about you come along to the training session for all the newbies?"

...

Shūhei was the first to leave the office, Retsuko followed, albeit in reluctance. Shūhei considered calling her out on it, but he also knew to give her a chance. Retsuko was the sort of girl who liked to complain about everything. And after setting her on the path to get what she wanted, to become a soul reaper. Shūhei hoped that she might get to hint to not complain as much. Or if she did, well it could be that Rangiku was right all along. It might end up proving that Retsuko was not ready to for the big step to start her training.

Retsuko did drag her feet a little. Yet she only broke her silence once the other soul reapers began showing up.

"Those look like students not experienced soul reapers."

Shūhei gave out a little laugh only to receive a cool glare from his daughter. In some ways, it almost looked like him whenever he took on his zanpakutō's more eccentric personality. It seemed that Retsuko did inherit some of his ways after all.

"Geez Retsuko that look of yours near scared all the hairs of my body"

Retsuko only glared that much more.

"Daddy...!"

Shūhei downgraded his laugh to a big smile as he gave her a proper answer the second time around:

"Alright...alright...yes you are right they are not experienced soul reapers..."

But Shūhei did not quite finish his explanation as he turned his attention towards the crowd:

"Good afternoon everyone."

"Good afternoon Lieutenant Hisagi."

Shūhei smiled even as his daughter looked at him confused. Yes, it was true that this was the first official meeting. But that did not mean that these new recruits were completely clueless what was going on. After all, if there was anything that Shūhei keep going it was Delilah's efficiency with paperwork. And from that, he had sent round pamphlets to these graduates to get themselves in the right frame of mind.

"Now you have all passed your exams, congratulations, congratulations, but you must know. Your training is far from over. You are graduates but you are not full-fledged soul reapers. The academy gave you the basics, now comes the hard part. Now you have to use the skills you have to awake your zanpakutōs spirits. No one in this group has quite managed to do that yet. But then that seems to be the trend with the high volume of the latest graduates."

Yes, there has been a lot of graduates as of late, and it was not only confined to squad nine. All squads had faced this tsunami, but Shūhei knew not to complain. Delilah would not complain, she would go on full steam ahead. She might have been younger than him, but she had been the mentor to many. Delilah had brought about many changes to the Seireitei and the soul society as a whole. Good changes they were, ones that had lead to a time of peace. But with these increase in students, Shūhei started to wonder how much longer it would last.

"Now pair up and remove your swords...carefully. Yes, they are still swords as it is the spirits which made them zanpakutōs."

This got the graduates murmuring amongst themselves. Yet neither one of them dallied all that much withdrawing their weapons. No doubt they were all very eager to begin their training. If only Retsuko looked like that. What Shūhei saw was her sore face. He anticipated her to find a way to get out of training, not ask the following question:

"Swords not zanpakutōs, I thought you got that during the academy."

Shūhei shook his head as he continued to observe the graduates:

"Delilah Ukitake-Kishimioro, Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya, they were the exceptions. Now you might have a little of their luck, but that does not mean that you do not have to train."

Of course, it was only natural that Retsuko would go on to give him her most pronounced pout. It was the same one that Rangiku gave him when she wanted him to give in. So with Retsuko following in her mother's footsteps. Well, let's just say that Shūhei had developed somewhat of an immunity.

"Everyone I want you to turn towards each other and begin to land gentle blows. This is not an exercise of zanjutsu, this is an exercise to see if you can hear your zanpakutō voices."

Yes, Shūhei had not held anything back with his explanation. He told them the point of the exercise so no one would go looking for a fight. This method was the more practical choice with a large crowd. Mediation was technically the quickest option to awaken the spirit. But most captains lacked the sort of training required.

"Hearing their zanpakutō spirits Daddy? That's kind of cool. Is that what we are going to be doing?"

Retsuko may have sounded real eager to get down with their training, but Shūhei would not look at her head on. He knew that if he did, she would catch him in her puppy dog look. This would make him lose his nerve, give in... No, he had other plans for his daughter:

"Oh Retsuko doesn't jump the gun, you need to get a hand on the basics first. What we'll be doing is a bit of coordination training with training sticks."

"What sticks...?"

It was at that moment that one of Shūhei's other teammates appeared with two sticks in two. He passed one to Retsuko who look very reluctant to accept it.

"I did let you agree to the academy but that does not mean that you don't have to go all the stages of training."

That got Retsuko moving to accept the stick. It wobbled in her hands as she gripped it with one and then passed it to another. Shūhei watched her a moment and let out a little laugh as she asked him:

"Wooden sticks, Daddy, do you want me to get splinters in my hand?"

...

Shūhei could only shake his head when he heard Retsuko whine about yet another thing. She had wanted to go to the academy so much, yet now that she had got it. She was back to complaining again. But now that Shūhei had said yes, well he was not going to take it back. No...he was going to test out his daughter. He would test her and push her, so if someone pulled out of the agreement it was her. After all, Shūhei knew well enough that Retsuko had a history of cowardice. Yet he was hoping that it would change.

"Splinters in your hand Retsuko, come now, no one ever said that soul reaper training was easy."

Retsuko was now giving him her best pout.

"Zanpakutōs have hilts, Daddy, they wouldn't give me splinters."

Shūhei struggled to hold back his laugh. He even had to cover his mouth as Retsuko even crossed her arms in a huff.

"Why can't we used swords Daddy like the other squad members?"

Ah yes, Retsuko wanted to jump the gun, but not even Delilah had done that, as far as he knew anyway. No, she had started young, how young though, he did not know. And that was when a thought crossed his mind, as he raised his stick and brought it down in a snap. He knew he aimed it just right, as within seconds Retsuko's training sticks fell right out of her hands. Yes, Shūhei decided that if Retsuko wanted to complain about something, well he would oblige.

Retsuko meanwhile looked downright stunned with his actions. She looked at him and then to the stick, and then back to him.

"Ow, what did you do that for?"

Shūhei could only smile at his daughter and watch her and that stick. Retsuko seemed to understand that he was expecting her to hop and get it. She did do it and with it came another whine:

"Daddy you don't need to be so harsh."

And when she gripped the stick anew, Shūhei did it again. He gave it a good strike as the stick flew right out of her hands once more. Retsuko could only give him her best pout, as even she did not whine when he refused to indulge her. So she once again leaned over to get the training stick and that was when thinking began to tumble downhill.

Retsuko had not been expecting it either by the looks of it, for as she leaned over she feels right on her face. Shūhei expected her to jump back to her feet or start wailing for help. Instead she did not move, in fact, when she tried to get back up, a force was holding her down. Shūhei thought that she might be putting on a show to get out of training. But then she would have not even attempted to get back up.

"Hey Retty, are you alright?"

Retsuko was still trying to get up. She was using her hands and knees now, the stick forgotten.

"It's fine Daddy, I can do this. I wanna show you that I can be a good soul reaper. I can fix problems all by myself!"

Shūhei pressed his lips together not quite sure what he should say. Yes, he had wanted Retsuko to be more serious about things. But now did not seem the best time for her to be so stubborn. As Shūhei was starting to wonder if he should call Unohana. Telling Rangiku would give his wife the case in which to argue for Retsuko to not enter the academy.

It soon turned out though that Retsuko was not sick. How did he know this? Because this phenomenon was also affecting the other squad members. They had gone from sparring and having a few glowing swords to falling over. It was somewhat fortunate that when the force hit them they did not cling to their weapons. Falling onto their swords would hurt. Especially since too many, it was still a body with a spirit. So there was no zanpakutō spirit there that would make sure their master did not come to harm.

Indeed one by one the graduates fell. So resisted, others appeared on the brink of unconsciousness when the force came. Yes, Shūhei identified as a force, one that was invisible to the naked eye. Or at least it was to them. And under his feet, he could have sworn that he felt some sort of rumbling. In the human world, an earthquake would be the first thing that came to mind. Shūhei would call it more of a shaking, one so intense that it debilitated all reapers present on the field, even him.

Yes, he was the last one to succeed in shaking that was going full force now. At first, Shūhei brought his own reiatsu to the forefront to defend himself. That some proved to be a bad idea as the force was foreign reiatsu that collided with his own. Or was it so foreign? No there was something familiar about this force, even as it ended up bring him right to his knees. He was even reduced to panting for the sheer force that wanted him to crash right into the floor. Though in some ways those on their bellies seemed less under pressure now.

Shūhei was starting to think that an enemy had someone penetrated the Seireitei. It made him want to rise and get prepared, but that was when he heard his zanapakutō spirit call out to him.

"Don't you recognise it? Do you recognise that massive reiatsu off our last captain?"

Shūhei wanted to laugh him off. He wanted to think that Kazeshini was pulling his leg. Sure Delilah had been powerful, even amongst the other captains. But her power had never been this devastating. He could not think what sort of transformation she must have gone through to get this power. If anything this was the sort of power the soul king would have had, but with a lot more self-control.

 **So we have come to the end of another chapter. We gained an insight into Shūhei's life. Retsuko may seem insignificant now, but I have some plans for her in the future that will make her become a lot more serious as a certain royal will eventually catch her eye. That is if there is enough interest for me to get to the fifth arc that is. Until next Friday.**


	10. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 9

**Welcome back! I hope you enjoy reading and reviewing this next chapter!**

"Oh no, now I can't get my well deserved shut eye."

Yes Rangiku, known as the second most lazy after Kenpachi, could not sleep. This was not a usual phenomenon for her to experience. She was one of those who would fall asleep on top of her paperwork if her captain did not watch her like a hawk. So it was a waste on such a day that Tōshiro Hitsuguya was not around. Today would have been one of those days that Rangiku would begging to him for something to do. Something that would take her mind of her daughter.

If Rangiku got into arguments she would go above and beyond to win them no matter what. But in the case of Retsuko, well sometimes she felt as if she were facing a brick wall. She would never admit it to herself that it was because Retsuko was sometimes her mirror image. Okay not in physical appearance but in the way that she conducted herself. It was the same stubbornness that Rangiku had. It was something that Rangiku never thought that she would have to face. So when she did, she found that her arguments with Retsuko often ended in a tie.

Once upon a time Rangiku might had squealed at the chance of having a mini me. But now that that wishful thought was in fact reality, she wished that Retsuko was more like Shūhei. Her husband was so much easier to work with then her daughter. For the first time in forever Rangiku now understood when people accused her of having a bad temper. It was not a reality she liked to face. Sure she had her reasons to being so strict with Retsuko. Her daughter wanted to be a soul reaper, but Rangiku it was more dangerous than it was glamorous.

So what could Rangiku do if she could not have a nap, well do paperwork of course. If anyone would have seen Rangiku doing it, it might have ended up on the first page of a newspaper. Yes the gossip queen would be at the centre of gossip. But if anything Rangiku would prefer that then private family matters getting out. If there was anything she learnt from Gin, it was to keep private things private. Indeed Rangiku had never figured out that Gin and Delilah would in fact turn out to be a couple. That was something that she had not seen coming. That creepy captain from the twelfth division had done so. But Rangiku had not. She had still seen Gin as a brother or a potential lover at one point. She did not resent Gin, after all, he had been the one to take her in. She had never quite been able to figure it out but Gin had never been an orphan. He had never been without a roof over his head or food to eat. Indeed it appeared that Gin had had family which he never seemed to talk about.

Yes Gin always seemed to have a family, and if Rangiku did not know it any better, he may even be a father now. He was part of the royal family and Rangiku might have envied him for that. She might have loved to be a princess but she also did not want more responsibility to deal with. She knew that Gin adored children and she would not have been the one to give them to him. One daughter was more than enough to deal with for Rangiku. Twins and triplets were not what Rangiku would have been able to deal with.

"Having one kid screaming at me is enough, having three or more and my life would be over."

Yes Rangiku dared to utter those words here. Here she was alone. Here she could vent, vent that her brat had actually screamed at her. It was so potient that Rangiku could not return the favour. If she would have done that, then she would have come down to Retsuko's level. Rangiku would have been the one to loose control of the argument. And she was the one who had to be the responsible parent in this situation.

"Oh Gin, I am sure that your children are nothing like mine."

Rangiku never quite understood the relationship between Gin and Delilah until it became serious. Some captains had been able to see the signs. It was weird though that it was that freaky captain from squad twelve. It annoyed Rangiku to no end that she was one of the last one to get in on that piece of news. She was one of those who actually got shut out. Sometimes she cursed at Gin, but also knew that he kept things from her because she could not keep her mouth shut:

"I suppose I am learning to be just as secretive as you were Gin. How would the Seireitei react to me having such a whiny brat as kid?"

But then Rangiku considered any mention of the academy from Retsuko to be whining. It had been an argument that had gone on for years and years and years. If Rangiku had been an orphan on the streets with Retsuko in tow she might have given into her daughter to get shelter. But Rangiku did not need to worry about such things now. Retsuko was one of the fortunate ones. She had been born straight into the Seireitei itself. And Rangiku was also beginning to consider that that could actually turn out to be a bad thing. Or it could be that Rangiku had not been thinking about the impact of taking Retsuko along with her one day to the academy. Her captain was actually quite a good babysitter, but he had been a bit busy with Momo as off late. Her captain might have also had something to do with Retsuko's soul reaper obsession. But what had sealed Rangiku's fate was when Retsuko actually agreed to come along to the academy. For a moment Rangiku saw her daughter caring more about books then getting her hands on the latest fashion...

...

...three hundred years ago...

"Hey Rangiku, I would not usually ask you to do this but could you oversee this year's entrance exams?"

The captain of the tenth division had long since learnt not to rely on his lieutenant, not really. So now that he was asking her a favour without even thinking twice, well that caught her attention. It even got her out of doodling, the same doodling that her young daughter was doing on the floor. Yes she was all ears, especially now that her captain was now blushing for the attention:

"So...so will you do it?"

Rangiku had stopped doodling now, even if the only thing she should have been doing was paperwork. She saw that frequent blush upon her captain's face. The same one she had seen when she had caught him get very close to Momo. Tōshirō had refused to take about it, acting as if it had not happened. Rangiku had not pushed, she had let things go until now.

"Will you go on your date with Momo?"

As expected Rangiku saw her captain getting all flustered:

"Fine if you...if you are going to be like that...then...then..."

Rangiku titled her head at him:

"Hey who said that I wouldn't do it, I'm sure those academy students would love to see my babies."

Rangiku gave a bosom a little squeeze causing Tōshirō to look away. Yes Rangiku could still get him hot under the collar if she wanted to. And it might have got Tōshirō into a shouting spree had Retsuko not chosen at that moment to speak up:

"Hey Mama, if you're going to the academy, can I come?"

Rangiku had thought she was dreaming when she heard those words. She even looked to Tōshirō for direction and even he appeared to be as clueless as she was. This was not something that they had been expecting to happen today.

"Well can I, it would be more fun then watch Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Hinamori all day."

Rangiku saw Tōshirō read in the face, annoyed, but a little amused at the same time. She would have not realised that this would be all the sign she needed to anticipate his next words.

"Take your brat Rangiku. I don't want her spying and spreading rumours like her mother likes to do."

Rangiku wanted to argue otherwise, but Retsuko was already by her side ready to leave. And Rangiku had never seen her quite so determined. So much so that it was only an hour later that mother and daughter held hands as they entered the academy courtyard. To those watching them they may have cooed at how picture perfect they looked. Though Rangiku was not holding onto Retsuko's hand so that they would look good. No Rangiku held onto her daughter's hand due to fear. She had brought Retsuko along but only now did she realise her mistake. Only now did Rangiku realise that the academy could be quite a dangerous place for her little girl. Since being a soul reaper consisted on lot more than just books.

"Stay close to me honey."

Retsuko only appeared to be half listening to her. She was much too amused by the students. The sword fighting did not seem to tickle her daughter's fancy. No it was only once they reached the kidō field that her attention began to perk up. That was Rangiku felt Retsuko trying to slip away from her grip. Rangiku would have none of it. Sure everyone saw her as the carefree drunk who was the life of the party. But there was no way that she would let her daughter be the target of a misfired kidō spell.

It was a good thing that they only stayed there for a few minutes before the teachers came for her. Rangiku could not drag Retsuko away quick enough. Her baby had been getting very close to slipping out from under her hold. Rangiku like to be nosy and enquire, she liked to explore. But having her only child doing the same thing, well that was not something that Rangiku could come to terms with yet. Retsuko was a baby, her baby, her only baby and letting Retsuko into that minefield, that was a big no no. No she preferred to lead her daughter to the viewing gallery above the exam hall. It was a floating tube like bridge that linked the gallaries together. And this bridge had glass that was resistant to any rouge reiatsu. It had been a recent addition to the soul society given the many high powered souls that were now starting to flood into the academy. And Rangiku knew that as she took her place at the table, Retsuko would be safe up there. It would also give her a good view and keep her kid entertained before they could go back to squad ten.

The exams took a few hours and Retsuko acted like an angel, so much so that she had become the centre of gossip. Those course of events had sure given Rangiku a buzz. If she were honest with herself, she was not one to flaunt her kid to the public like a shiny toy. Nonetheless Rangiku felt proud of Retsuko's paitence. She even felt flattered at all the compliment that she recieved from the older students who had also come to watch the exams with Retsuko. But Rangiku's buzz had come to an end from the moment they exited the academy.

"Mummy, when will it be my turn to do my entrance exam?"

At first Rangiku had hoped that she had not heard Retsuko speak those words. But when she turned towards her daughter's puppy dog eyes she could not deny it. Retsuko wanted something, something that Rangiku was not about to give. Sure she lavished her kid with fancy clothes and makeup, those things did not maim or kill. But this new dilemma was one that Rangiku did not want to face. And it was on that day that her relationshp with Retsuko began to spiral downhill.

...

…..present day…..

"Rangiku...Rangiku...Rangiku...!"

No Rangiku did not want to come back to the present. She wanted to reach out to her daughter and put an end to her soul reaper dreams there and then. Yes, she wanted to change the past. She wanted to rewrite the past to affect the future. She wanted to everything that would lead Retsuko to becoming the brat that got on her nerves. But her zanpakutō was not one that could rewrite the past. In fact, no such zanpakutō actually existed. No Haineko was a little more preoccupied with getting Rangiku's attention, why? To warn her of course:

"RANGIKU...!"

Rangiku could not daydream any longer. She had to come back to reality. She had to realise that even though her zanpakutō was her fighting mate, she sure could be annoying. So irritating that Rangiku wished she could summon Haineko to slap her round the face. Her zanpakutō knew better than to disturb her when she was in the midst of a day dream. But no Haineko just kept on going and going and going. Going until Rangiku found herself right back in her sit pissed off. And once there she lifted her blade demanding:

"Where's the fire?!"

But all Haineko gave Rangiku was silence. Her zanpakutō was silent after so much time spent nagging her. Rangiku lifted her blade up, she even pointed and prodded at it. But still there was not a sound that came out. Haineko had gone mute, well that was until Rangiku spoke:

"You interrupt my thoughts and now you won't give me any answers. What's wrong with you?"

Rangiku could have sworn that she heard Haineko whistling in the wind. Almost as if she were waiting for Rangiku to realise what the problem was for herself.

"You mean that you can't sense that!"

Haineko was being cryptic, much too cryptic for her tastes. Haineko was like the snarky twin sister that got on Rangiku's nerves. She was still a lot easier to block out then Retsuko was. Indeed as Rangiku looked at their family photo on her desk, she let out a sigh. Retsuko begging had gone right into the tantrum zone now and Rangiku did not know how she would deal with it. She knew that her daughter had most likely gone crying to Shūhei. And if Shūhei gave in, would that mean that Retsuko would be serious with her soul reaper training.

"Really...?" Haineko asked her again.

Now Haineko was making Rangiku grind her teeth. Retsuko was not as annoying as Haineko, not yet. And if Rangiku would admit it to anyone, she would start working to make sure that, that was the case. So that was when another thought crossed Rangiku's mind as she looked upon the family photo. Her attention fell to Shūhei and how happy he had made her. It then made Rangiku wonder if she could find something like that for Retsuko. Yes if directing her attention towards boys seemed like the safer option.

"Honestly Rangiku you need to stop freaking out about your brat and pay attention!"

Now Haineko was daring to judge her. No that did not sit well with Rangiku, not one bit. So what did she do, she threw her blade to the floor of course. A bit of seperation between the two of them was something that they both needed. But it was as her zanpakutō clunked to the floor that Rangiku caught sight of her wine bottles on the cabinent. She narrowed her eyes to gain a better look, and when she did, she realised that they were shaking.

"What in the...?"

But Rangiku did not quite finish her words. Speaking did not seem as important as actions at that moment in time. So she headed forward, trying to make sure that her eyes were not in fact playing tricks on her. And as she did move forward, the shaking kicked up a notch, it started knocking bottle by bottle right of the shelf. At first Rangiku thought that the shaking would lead them to cracking right on down the middle. But when the first bottle came flying of the shelf, her first reaction was to lift her hands up. Doing so meant that the first bottle did not shatter into pieces on the floor. No it landed right into her hands.

"Well that was fortunate."

Too fortunate if the shaking would have anything to say about it. Sure Rangiku caught the first bottle, but did she catch the second, the third, the forth...? Did she stop the lovely liquid within them from spilling everywhere? No, she did not. She could not. Yes she tried to stop them from falling, she even lunged herself against the cabinent. The bottle still feel, the alchol still went everywhere. And in the meantime, Rangiku could hear her zanpakutō chiding her from where she had dumped her on the floor:

"It looks like you were too soon to blow me off."

Rangiku ground her teeth together, now even Haineko was starting to get smart with her. Rangiku thought about leaving her sword on the floor for a little longer. But then she heard the screams coming from outside the captain's office. The one she shared with Tōshirō, then she heard the panic. And it was then that she realised that having an argument with Haineko at that moment was not the best of ideas. No she needed her zanpakutō now, especially if this shaking would be a prelude to an invasion.

"Alright since you seem to know so much."

Rangiku hurried forward, she grabbed her zanpakutō and head straight for the door. She looked back, all her sake bottles smashed on the floor. The smell of alchol was beginning to grow. Rangiku knew that her captain would give her an earful once he got back. Well if he could get back that was. This shaking was not normal, her squad did not start panicking over petty things. So since she was de facto captain at the moment, she would have to take charge. As that was when she asked her zanpakutō straight out:

"Does this shaking have anything to do with an enemy?"

"No...!" Haineko responded.

"Then is it some sort of warning."

"Shirūba Ōji says to prepare for war!"

 **Until next Friday!**


	11. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 10

**Welcome, back to another chapter, I hope you all read and enjoy!**

 **Also Thank you Windblade67 for your review! Welcome back, I went back to my latest chapter to add this** **review! Yes the Silver Prince sent out the message, you seem to be reading my mind with that connection between the abilities he copied. It is Delilah's stress, but why would she panic in such a way if there was not something seriously wrong. Aizen did concentrate a lot on her controlling her emotions and power... Yes Rangiku's protective(also I have seen other fanfics where soul reapers try to keep their kids protected from the academy as they know what dangers lie in store with such a career!). I have two pairings in mind for Delilah's kids, though that may be enough in this particular timeline. I apologise if the slight repletion is getting boring but I have been trying to give an overview of the sorts of things that have been going on the soul society whilst Delilah has been away. Next week's chapter will be the last chapter of the overview. Whoops I did not realise I had added the Frozen reference, the songs must be struck in my head too. Until next time :)**

"All you pathetic losers, listen up. This is not the squad of the pussies, this was the squad of fighters. There is a nasty rumour spreading around that we sleep a lot. Well if you fight a good battle, you are allowed a good rest. If you don't fight a good battle, well there are plenty of others who can steal your glory. If you are truly cut out to be a member of this squad you won't want that. You would stick up a fight and win against anyone who dared to steal your thunder. You would show the world that your opponent was the pussy for daring to come up against you."

Yes, yes Ikkaku was channelling his captain head on now. But what else could he do? It was not as if Kenpachi was around to strike fear into these newbie's hearts himself. No, he was away at a captain's meeting. Most of those he just missed. He preferred to sleep through such things. This time though he went. Like the captains of the eighth and the thirteenth, his captain knew not to rile up the head captain too much. Now he was a foe that was difficult to beat.

"So do you have the guts to prove yourselves. Do you have the guts to go up against me, the great Ikkaku!"

Not a sound came from either one of the newbies as they stood in the fight hall. Yes, the same fight hall that Kenpachi Zaraki had brought crumbling down many, many times. Their squad had one of the highest building maintenance budget. Only the twelfth division could compare with the explosions they got up to. As for the newbies, well they seemed terrified of Ikkaku's madman ways. He hoped that they would not be too scared to fight!

"Heads up!"

The newbies, thirty or so in number stood to attention. It was a good thing too as from one moment to the next he reached to the sticks beside him and throw them. The newbies rushed forward from the instant he did that. They were eager, he would give them that. So eager that they were tripping and stumbling over each other to get their own training stick. Clumsy, uncoordinated but eager. Bah Delilah had been unsure of herself too at the start, but then she had turned around and pummelled him. That was something Ikkaku would never forget.

"Already on the count of three, one...two...three!"

It was at that moment that Ikkaku gripped the stick he still had with his two hands as he charged right at them. The newbies looked downright startled when he did such a thing. They had either actually thought that they could sleep around. Or they had thought that he would not be as head-on as Kenpachi Zaraki. And when Ikkaku did clash sticks with the first newbie, their resistance against him was feeble. He was the first newbie to fall to the floor from their collision. The next newbie that came up against him put up a bit more of a fight. They even had their own spar going on for a while. The newbie might have lasted longer if other newbies had not pushed him out of the way. Yes, they were all getting very competitive now. Ikkaku was starting to think that he had riled them up enough for the fight. But that was all that he had managed to do. They still tried to come at him one by one, pushing others out of the way. And this was why after an hour, Ikkaku had them belly down on the wooden floor.

"Bah, how weak and pathetic you all are. You are lucky that the captain is not here to see this. He would have ripped the building down and made you go grovelling to the head captain."

Ah yes, that was the other thing, when Kenpachi Zaraki messed up, he would not begging to Yamamoto himself. No, that lovely duty lay in the hands of who had fought and lost against him. That was Kenpachi's way of killing two birds with one stone. Showing them how weak they were but also hiding his own inability to beat in a spar against the head captain.

Or could it be that brute strength is not enough?

This was not something that he would dare to admit out loud. He represented squad eleven, he had to show that brute strength was the be all end all. That was why he still hide his bankai, so he could stay by his captain. That was why he would not admit that someone as strategy oriented like Sōsuke Aizen was not a foe he could beat. That was most likely why Delilah was a special type of Kenpachi.

"Wait a moment..."

Yes, Ikkaku's instincts were right, as that was when he heard it. That was when he heard her shrill cries, cries that he knew very well. The newbies did not take all that notice of the noise. They were still rolling around on the floor from the beating that he had given them. They would most likely remain like that for a while, so it would not matter if Ikkaku took a moment to step out. And that was exactly what he did, as he headed straight to none other than the nursery in the lieutenant's quarters.

In his mind, he was already flipping around solutions in his mind. Should he get some milk, a clean nappy or a warm blanket? But from the moment that entered the small pink themed room, he saw that Yachiru was already them. And as she turned around to face him, he saw that she was cradling none other than their baby girl:

"You sure a big eater Sherry, just like your big brute of a daddy."

Ikkaku blushed from the comment even though he knew that it was not quite true. Little Sherry could have inherited her mother's sugar addiction given how sweet breast milk was.

...

"You're so pretty, yes you are, yes you are..."

A loud series of chuckles bounced all over the walls of the nursery. A nursery coloured pink with a matching crib against one side of the wall and the diaper station on the other. Between them stood the dark pink couch, the perfect resting place and opposite was the wardrobe. Yes, everything was a pink for the certain some with that shrill laugh. It was a young laugh, very young that it could not be a certain daddy in the room. No the one that was making all the ruckus was a very lively baby girl kicking her legs around on the diaper station. Yes her daddy was the one who was teasing her so. But then Ikkaku would not pass up the opportunity to make his little girl laugh. It was the same thing that he did with Yachiru whenever they could get some alone time from Kenpachi.

"Hmm, who needs good looks if they have your sense of humour."

Ikkaku could only smile at Yachiru's comments. He would not deny or accept her opinions. It was his sense of humour that had gotten him his girlfriend and daughter in the first place. He was not a woman's man like a certain Kyōraku captain. He was not extremely smart like a certain fox. The same fox who had now scored himself a princess. Now Ikkaku was a brute with a sensitive side. And whilst Kenpachi might have beat him to a pulp in the past for defiling Yachiru as he put it. Kenpachi was no longer on the hunt to separate them after Sherry was born.

"So how were the newbies then?"

Ikkaku smiled but it was more like a grimace. He was still very diligent with the diaper changing process. He was not one of those men who would skirt even the more yucky duties of a parent. Many women squealed at his hands-on parenting. Yachiru rewarded him by defending him in front of Kenpachi. Ikkaku respected his captain but he also loved Yachiru a great deal. And if there was anything that Ikkaku could see was that Kenpachi needed a woman of his own. If that happened then he would most likely not be so possessive when it came to Yachiru.

"Weaklings the lot of them...even our baby girl would have been able to wipe the floor with them!"

Now it was Yachiru's turn to burst into a fit of giggles. Yes, this was a joke between them. Sometimes Yachiru wanted to do the training sessions, Ikkaku kicked up a fuss. Yachiru was still recovering. Sherry was not even a year old and yes that was in human years terms.

"Hey...umm...so...so have you heard from Captain Kishimioro as of late?"

Yes, Ikkaku had changed the subject. It was not because he was trying to avoid how much a flop the training session had been. No, it was because he had wanted to ask this question and he never seemed to find the right moment. So now he was forcing the matter. He looked to his side, to Yachiru. His lovely girlfriend who was now only a bit shorter than him. Her pink hair now billowed well past her shoulders, and her chest... Hmm yes, they were a sight to behold. Ones that many males stared at when Kenpachi was not looking. Yachiru acted innocent when she received all that attention. Now though, now she looked confused.

"Captain Kishimioro, oh you mean Delilah...and now that you ask no one has heard from her. She might be busy with her own family. Though that might be because the royal realm moves at a much slower time speed to ours."

By that point, Ikkaku had secured the nappy. Sherry, with her milky skin and dark pink eyes, had descended into soft giggles by this point. Yes for someone so small, she had worn herself with all that commotion. She still slept a lot, her spiritual pressure was still absent or developing. Ikkaku was not quite sure. Captain Unohana said that most children born in the soul society were late bloomers. Only those with their own reiatsu from the womb would have it upon birth. Delilah had most likely been one of these children. Her father, the biological one, well he was one who had overflowing reserves.

"The royal realm moves at a much slower speed than ours. How is that even possible?"

Ikkaku then heard Yachiru giving her loudest snort. She might have been trying to act all lady like and give a gentle sniff. But Yachiru was not that sort of woman. She was a fighter, she was the lieutenant of the Kenpachi division after all. And it seemed that such a position also came with a lot of benefits.

"You don't notice it all that much with the dangai precipie world linking the soul society with the living world. It harmonises the different time spans. But from what I have managed to read up on, getting to the royal realm does not work like that. It is not so surprising that the royal guard has markings. Some sort of direct links seems needed. Anyway, why you suddenly so interested in Delilah? She was MY bestie and not yours."

Ikkaku did not want to correct his girlfriend. Most people who had had interactions with the soul princess knew that the closest to her was Gin. Those two had gone all the way over the cliff together, that was how he saw marriage. It was the same cliff that he now wanted to cross with Yachiru.

"I was kind of...kind of..."

Ikkaku was stammering, but finding the words to express himself did not come easy. Or it could be that he was nervous about Yachiru's reaction. What better way to defend himself then cradling little Sherry to his chest?

"You eat something funny today Baldy?!"

Ikkaku's lips twitched at Yachiru's outburst. She was making it difficult to keep his cool. But he needed to, he needed to get this off, of his chest:

"I was hoping that you could get in contact with her so that she could marry us together."

...

Then came the silence, that unbearable silence. It made Ikkaku shiver, it made him shake. It made his bad boy confidence go spiralling down the hill. Yes, he was the warrior, the bloodthirsty one. He was not supposed to have wishy-washy feelings of love. Especially not with the adopted daughter of the ultimate bloodthirsty captain. Or it could be that it was Yachiru did not want him to go that far. If that was the case, Ikkaku wondered how he could make things less awkward. So he almost felt as if his girlfriend's reaction was not as bad as he thought it would be.

"Mar...marriage...ha...ha...ha...are you being serious? Ken...Kenny would never agree to it. You...you know that!"

Yachiru looked very defensive at that moment. She may have even lashed out at him. Goodness knows how many times Ikkaku had had to endure her beatings before he could start wooing her. Yachiru was still very much a daddy's girl. So Ikkaku still thought that it was a miracle that he had managed to get her to act more like a woman than a child. That was most likely the reason why Kenpachi now saw him more as an enemy than as an ally.

"I was hoping that Delilah could speak some sense to him...unless...unless you don't wanna tie the knot."

Ikkaku's face portrayed despondency as Yachiru's eyes went wide. Ikkaku may have even started laughing at the situation but he did not want to offend her. Yachiru was often so dense when it came to the ways of romance. True that worked in Ikkaku's favour a lot of the time. It meant that Yachiru was quite low maintenance. It meant that she did not expect so much of her to say like someone such as Rangiku.

"Are...are...are you sure? I mean...I mean...I am not the best sort of wife..."

Yachiru had had Ikkaku hanging on the edge waiting for an answer. It did not come, but then, that did not seem to be a possibility. Yachiru was not that much of a public speaker. She would let others do that for her. Then again, Kenpachi had poor social skills too. It would not have surprised Ikkaku that that was why Kenpachi struggled when it came to dealing with women. But that was not important now, not when Yachiru was now crouching over and moaning. And that was when he felt that spiritual pressure which either came before or after the shaking.

"Yachiru...!"

With one arm Ikkaku held Sherry close to him, with the other he reached out to stop Yachiru from collapsing. His girlfriend was strong. She did not topple over like the newbies. She was the lieutenant. So for her to act so weak, he knew that something had to be wrong. At first, he worried that he might offend Yachiru by asking. She hated showing weakness. But with the pain etched into her facial features. He decided to swallow his fear and ask:

"What...what's wrong?"

"It feels like something is pressing against me. Such great power...even...even Kenny would struggle..."

Ikkaku did not quite know what Yachiru was talking about until Sherry started to whine. She even let off a fade red glow which Ikkaku realised was providing a counter shield to the external reiatsu. Or could it be that babies were the only ones protected from this shaking? Yachiru would have fallen right to the floor from it. Sherry seemed to be up and full of energy, excitement blaring in her eyes. It was the same sort of look that Ikkaku would see in Kenpachi's eyes as he readied himself for war. And then it struck him.

"Alright breathe, Yachiru...I had going to let you go down to the floor slowly."

Yachiru did not complain. She seemed a lot more comfortable sitting on the floor than standing. But from Yachiru's furrowed features, Ikkaku saw that she was having second thoughts.

"I can't...I can't sit around here. I have to take charge. I'm the lieutenant. I can't sit around at a time like this!"

Yachiru then tried to stand up again, but she could not fight against that pressure. Seeing her struggles made Ikkaku know what he had to do. He had to be the one to step up to the plate.

"Yachiru, here, take Sherry. I will take over for now."

Yachiru looked up with a scowl on her face, shouting:

"ARE YOU SAYING THAT I AM WEAK!"

Ikkaku cringed a little when he heard that tone. It was not anger, it was defensive.

"No, you are not weak. But if I let you go out in this chaos, the captain would definitely flay me alive. I would protect you and Sherry with my life!"

Yachiru's next round of rants came to an abrupt standstill, as her eyes went wide. She then lifted her arms waiting for their daughter. Ikkaku obliged her by passing Sherry over. Sherry was now very active as she almost jumped from his arms to Yachiru's. And once father and daughter were no longer in physical contact, Ikkaku almost felt it. He also felt that shaking, the one that wanted to topple him right of his feet.

"Ikkaku...are you alright?"

After the promise he made, he did not want to give Yachiru any more reason to worry. So he put on his bravest face before saying:

"I'm...I'm fine really...you...you say with Sherry and I will check on the rest of the squad."

Yachiru looked up at him. Yes, she could see the struggle within his eyes, but she did not drill on the matter. So Ikkaku took one last look at his lover and child, wondering if he would make it back to them. Yet just before he was no longer in reaching distance, he felt a hand grip on the bottom of his uniform trousers. He looked down to see Yachiru looking up at him in what he could only describe as fear:

"What's wrong?"

Yachiru gulped:

"If...if we make it through this...then I promise that I will say yes."

 **Until next Friday.**


	12. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 11

**Thank your Windblade67 for your review! Yes everyone survives the shaking, it is what comes after that that will be the proper war. That will go on for much longer then the shaking. Yes Sherry's parents will get married eventually, though it might not be Delilah who carries out the ceremonies. The red energy protecting Sherry, well I do not want to give too much away. But it has something to do with Shirūba Ōji acting on his own. Your speculations are wrong, but I will reveal more in the later arcs (if I get there!). Until next time!**

 **Welcome back everyone, I hope you read, enjoy and review this next chapter!**

The driving force behind the thirteenth division was its captain and its lieutenant. Yes, that did mean Jūshirō Ukitake and Rukia Kuichiki-Abarai. Jūshirō Ukitake was fun-loving captain but his passive aggressive side was starting to show. It seemed that there were some things that he was struggling to deal with. Rukia, well she had a husband and rambunctious twins to contend with. She might have been a stumbling unseated officer in the beginning. Now she was a high flying noblewoman who enforced order and efficiency. Some considered her as the female version of Byakuya Kuichiki himself.

But those two heads of the divisions were away. And when they were away, well the others could play. It was not as if the third seats would impose such a strict timetable. It was not in their nature. They were loyalty, they were loud, they were energetic. But above anything, they were also very much in love...with each other. For so long they saw each other as competing for the same spot. Now sitting on the picnic blanket, they saw each other as husband and wife who worked together. Yes, they had gone all the way, even when others were waiting for Delilah's return.

"A toast to Sentarō's Rukkon friends getting us a slot in the wedding house!"

It was not any old picnic that the two third seats were having. Not it was one that had wine, a whole bottle of it. Neither one of them actually drunk on the job. They did not want to show that their loyalty had lessened to their captain. But when he was not around, even they let their hair loose. Anyone from the outside walking in at that moment might have thought they had entered the eighth and not the thirteenth division.

"A toast to us being the first couple to tie the knot!"

Of course, neither one of them were about to mention that they had broken the trend to not wait for Delilah. Many couples in the Seireitei, well they wanted Delilah to act as officiator. To them, Delilah was still very much the queen of the Seireitei. Some of them even considered that at times she had had more credibility than the head captain. She had been the one to face down the most serious threats in their history and not him. So she was still the one that everyone looked to in deep admiration.

"How much longer do you think that other couples will be willing to wait? Perhaps the first to crack will be Ikkaku or it could be Nanao. She sure is possessive over that captain of hers."

It had been Kiyone to speak those words. She was the woman in the relationship. She was the only one who could say such a thing without it being uncomfortable. Plus Kiyone was the one who went to the women's association meetings. She was the one who saw Rangiku always trying to dig into Nanao's private affairs. But was Rangiku as forthcoming about her life…?

"You forgot about Captain Hitsugaya and Momo Hinamori."

Kiyone was the first one to place her wine glass onto the ground. This was the easiest way for the wine to not spill everywhere as her response was not a mild one:

"WHAT!"

Sentarō blinked a few times until she realised what was wrong.

"Oh yeah, I suppose that only us Rukkonagi brats know rumours surrounding our kin."

Kiyone blushed a little before she gathered her words:

"Well, then it's a good thing that I am married to one of them as I can get in on the important news."

Sentarō gave out a silent sigh of relief. He had worried that things would get awkward, but Kiyone was not actually like that. She was against those people that she viewed as the enemy or outsiders. But when it came to Sentarō, she had let her barriers down. If anything hanging out with Kiyone had given Sentarō a bit more credibility. But then it was not common knowledge that he had married Kiyone. In some ways, he did not want the information to get out as he feared the backlash. Some noble clans still viewed marrying those outside their status as a bad thing.

"Kiyone you're the noble, do you know why our captain is becoming more passive..."

"...aggressive?" Kiyone finished him off.

Sentarō nodded as he gulped down the contents of his wine glass. This was a topic that neither one wanted quite to answer, but it was one that they had to discuss. Sentarō had blurted it and he was now waiting for Kiyone to snap at him. But she did not, she looked at the ground. She smiled but she showed sadness.

"Yes, you have a point about that. He hides it well but seems to be going through a lot of personal issues at the moment."

Sentarō cocked his head, now this was a revelation that he had not considered. He thought that Kiyone would shy away from the topic at hand. They were loyal, but without him around, Kiyone seemed to ease up a little as Sentarō answered:

"Do you think that it has something with Delilah?"

Sentarō saw Kiyone cringe in an outward manner. In a way Kiyone did know a lot more about Delilah's birth then he did. She had been one there when their captain had meet and couple with one of the Kishimioro princesses in the first place.

"It might...it could be that he has more of an idea what is going on with Delilah then we do. Delilah has been absent from the soul society. But that does not mean that there may not have been at least one of us who knew what was going on..."

Sentarō's eyes went wide:

"Are you saying? Are you saying that our captain has been having personal contact with Delilah?"

Kiyone blinked before shrugging:

"He might or he might know more about what is going about with Delilah then we do. That was one of the main reasons I agreed to marry you. It would not surprise me if something big is about to happen."

Sentarō did not know quite how to respond until he blurted out:

"Do you think this connection he has something to do with him teaching the kids in the Rukkon district?"

...

Sentarō saw Kiyone giving him a soft smile before responding:

"Yes, it probably does. Then again, our captain seems to be looking for something. Or he seems to be trying to handle something he cannot deal with. Children might have something to do with it. Or it could have something to do with Delilah's children. We cannot forget that she was the first one that married outside of the noble circle. It does not matter if the soul king made Gin Ichimaru into a noble or not."

Kiyone seemed to sound very sure of herself towards the end, but Sentarō was not. Sentarō had done his research. Sentarō had seen documents on Gin suggesting that he was more than a simple orphan. Gin had come with money wherever he had come from. Gin had given Rangiku a home without much trouble. The soul king may have shown some sort of resistance to accepting Gin as grandson-in-law. Yet it could have been a show all along. Yes, there was something that Sentarō was trying to find but could not.

"Sentarō I hope that you have not been trying to get into Captain Kuchiki's personal records. He does have a right to execute you on his private property if he finds you there!"

After hearing Kiyone getting all defensive on the topic at hand Sentarō went quiet. He was not noble in this situation. Anything he would have said would make things worse, not better. He had married a noble, but it would be many decades before he truly understood their ways. And it could be that by that point, his speculations might make a bit more sense. After all, as the two of them saw what appeared to be one of the newbies running towards them. Sentarō could not help but sense that there was a change in the air.

Sentarō was the first one to take notice of him. He stood up and gripped the newbie before he collapsed. He was panting hard. Now was the time to relax, not was the time for panic. Even Kiyone appeared to notice that something was wrong as she joined Sentarō's side. Though she might have only done that so she could carry out the interrogation:

"Calm down, brat, this is the time to take a warm bath or something. This is not the time to prepare for some sort of war."

And even though Kiyone had not thought much of what she said. From the moment that newbie looked up, it was more than obvious that she had taken the words right out of his mouth. Kiyone paid no attention to his pained expression, Sentarō choose instead to be more prudent.

"Jeromi, that is your name right?"

The newbie was small in stature with short brown hair and eyes. The uniform he wore looked a little too big on him. He had only been around for a year or so. He was like Rukia had once been, stumbling and wondering if he was making a fool of himself.

'"Yes, sir...it...it is..."

Kiyone let out a loud sigh, Sentarō felt like giving her a good kick. If they had been so dismissive with Rukia she would not have made it so far. If they had treated her like some sort of pest, their captain would have remained without a lieutenant.

"Why the panic, lad?"

Kiyone looked bored but Sentarō remained neutral. His wife would end up giving him daggers with her eyes for it. Though his cautiousness might have been the more prudent option in the end.

"A lot of divisions are saying that we have lost contact with the rest of the soul society."

Sentarō expected Kiyone to give him that look, he did not expect for her laughing to interrupt them all together.

"Oh come on why are you two boys so serious. Lighten up. So we lost contact. It is not as if Captain Kurotsuchi's devices are always top notch. If we wanted something stable, it might have been better to track down Kisuke Urahara."

The newbie looked downright embarrassed and it was Sentarō's time to give his wife a scowl. But their bickering did not get so far, not when the three of them stumbled forward at the same time. They reached out to grab onto each other, to steady their balance. But from the moment they stood straight, the same force knocked them over again. It was the newbie who fell to the ground. He was the one paralysed in panic. The shaking had come, it was not something that even Kiyone could deny. And whilst she had been so carefree about everything, fear was now starting to grow on her features. Sentarō felt like giving her a playful scolding at how soon they had changed their tune, but he resisted the urge to do so. More serious things were afoot. This shaking was not normal, and Sentarō knew that they had to get on the move. It was getting worse, walking straight was proving to be a challenge. So they held on to each other, it was the only way. Though Kiyone was the more force forward. She was the one who got them to enter the barracks. Though it may not have been the best thing for her to do, for what they faced was pandemonium. No one seemed to be in the mood for laughing things off anymore.

For what the three of them faced was none other than groups of soul reapers trying to handle butterflies. Some of the others were slamming phones against the table as they failed to work. Some of them were trying to start up the monitoring screens to get an idea what was going on. But nothing appeared to be working. The communication devices were in fact down, and this was very much a reason to panic. Though before the three of them headed further back into the squad building, Sentarō turned to Kiyone:

"Without our captain or lieutenant, what are we supposed to do now?"

...

Sentarō had said those words, yes, but saying them out loud may not have been the best choice. The newbie heard them of course and he looked ready to make a run for it. Sentarō might have considered doing the same thing. But then, even if they did try to run it was not as if they could get very far. To get out of the thirteenth division required them to walk through the division itself. And as the three of them head further and further into the building, what they faced were crowds of reapers trying to do the same thing.

"Sentarō was I, was I too...?"

Kiyone's tone of voice was now laced with worry. Sentarō gulped it might have been audible if not for the strangled voices. Yes, the panic was rising, it was even starting to affect the third seats. The thirteenth division was always the one that most enemies seemed to forget. They went for the first ten. They tended to avoid Kenpachi's division as they did not want to face his horde of fighters. But the third seats would learn that this time, this time they would not be so fortunate. But before anything, they would have to reestablish control.

"Everyone...can I...can I have your attention please?"

Sentarō was the first one who tried that task. It was an impossible one since he had to compete with other desperate voices. Even during times of rest, other voices would could a bit of difficulty to understand each other. With these rise in panic, there were shouts and screams, so Sentarō tried again:

"Everyone can I have your attention please!"

But still, everyone seemed to be busy, busy pushing and stumbling into each other. No matter how hard they were trying to get out they could not succeed. This could only mean that for some reason the doors were not opening. But it was no use, exactly like it was no use for Sentarō to restore order. His captain could do it with his mere spiritual pressure. It was enough to get any way to look towards him. Yet Sentarō feared what it would be like if one-day Jūshirō targetted him with his anger. Rukia could restore order through a few select words. Byakuya had been her teacher. Jūshirō Ukitake and Rukia Kuichiki were nobles after all. He was nothing, he could not even restore order until Kiyone stepped in:

"SHUT YOUR MOUTHS AND PAY ATTENTION!"

Kiyone had meant to say 'to us', but everyone knew what she meant. They looked towards her, they quietened down for a moment. The panic in the air rescinded a little, but the tension still remained. Kiyone had restored order, she had called to their attention, but she went silent. Yes, it appeared as if she had jumped the gun so to speak. She had taken the lead but it looked like it was going nowhere. So Sentaroō took over.

"Who was the last to leave the thirteenth division?"

No one responded to the newbie next to him stuttered:

"Captain Ukitake, sir."

Sentarō frowned, that was a while ago, a long while ago. He would not have locked the doors. No something else was going on. Something that would explain that shaking that had caused some to expel their most recent meal by the looks of it. In fact, being squeezed together was a good thing. It stopped them topped to the ground from what force was causing the shaking. It was not as if they could fall far when being pressed up against the walls of the division itself. And as Sentarō considered his next move, Kiyone called out:

"Is that smoke I smell?"

Yes, Kiyone had made the next move though it may not have been the best one. It only caused the atmosphere of panic to return. For a moment everyone seemed to have forgotten that the doors were in fact shut down. All they wanted to do was to get out as the smoke smell started to become more and more noticeable. It was enough to get anyone to lose their mind, even Sentarō. But he could not let things go on like this, so he did the only thing he could think off:

"STOP PUSHING AND START OPENING WINDOWS!"

He shouted they heard. Everyone closest to the windows followed through on his orders. And once they did so, many of the other squad members started to consider ways of climbing out the windows. This might have been the logical step in Sentarō mind but as the shaking increased, the reapers started to tumble. Kiyone was one of them. But this shaking was something that was a lot closer. Sentarō reached out to touch the walls as his suspicions became true. Something was hitting them.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The noise was devastating but it was rather ironic that that caused everyone to go silent. Neither one of them even tried to make a move, frozen in a panic they were now. As seconds, minutes went by, the walls continue to shake and the cracks began to appear. Yes, there was the shaking, but that was not the one attacking the building. It was something else, it was an enemy. Even Kiyone's pale face showed that she accepted that now. Everyone knew it now, but no one screamed or panicked. They instead reached out to each other to hold each other's hands. Kiyone and the newbie also followed suit. Sentarō accepted the gesture.

"Sentarō, are we...are we going to die?"

Sentarō did not want to answer. He refused to answer such a question. He knew there had to be a way out, there had to be. The thirteenth division building had been around for decades, centuries even. For some reason, it was their building that was being attacked. The enemy had sought them out first, and this made Sentarō realise that this had something to do with their captain. He was after all the father of the soul princess.

 **This is the last of the overview chapters as the war truly sets into motion! Until next Friday!**


	13. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 12

**Thank you Windblade67 for your review! Yes everyone is waiting for Delilah's return. She was very much what made the soul society change for the better. She has not made regular visits and that is what confuses many of those who knew her. I have indicated at the start of this next chapter just how long she has been MIA. (This should also make it clear just how much time has past!) People like Yachiru, Rangiku, Nanao, Shunsui etc and many other never actually thought that she would abandon them. They were Delilah's first family. Jūshirō is th only one who knows the most of what is going on. He knows about his grandchildren, he knows why Delilah had not been back for so long. I am planning to reveal how and what he did in the second arc. Also there will be a whole arc dedicated to Delilah's kids. As for the soul society being attacked it has to do with those armies who prepared underground. My aim with Part Two is to answer what event lead up to the murder of Delilah's maternal family. This was the answer that I left hanging from Part One. I hope you read and enjoy this next chapter!**

From the morning the shaking had begun but by late afternoon, it had rescinded. The calmest of everyone in the soul society was of course the students. The youngest ones, the ones without matured reiatsu or any. Yes, these students were not those that attended the soul reaper academy. No these were students of all the regular citizens of the Rukkon district. After all, since the reforms that Delilah had put into place, life there was no longer a struggle. Things had been peaceful, peaceful until the sudden shaking that morning. The residents of the Rukkon district had had their period of panic. They had wondered why the soul reapers did not come to their aid. But it no longer mattered, the shaking was becoming less and less. All the heightened emotions that had lead to spats between those in the marketplace died down. No, their only concern was to help each other. The young ones had also gone to school in the meantime. Their parents considered it to be the best idea. They had not entered the building of course, lest it collapses in on them. And they only started to enter from the playground at the sound of a shrill whistle.

"Now children please take out your books as we will continue to look at subtraction."

When the student had first entered the classroom, everything had been a mess. Some of the older students had come in to lift up the bookcases. The young ones did not even attempt it. No, they were the ones that helped their teacher to rearrange all the books and papers. Some of these shelves were also extra students spaces. This was one of the main reasons why the younger ones wanted to help. They were one of the first to see that there was no permanent damage...yet.

"Who can tell me how subtraction is different from addition?"

The teacher in charge was a young woman. She was not of soul reaper calibre but she had teaching experience. That had been her profession whilst still in the world of the living. At the school's establishment, her students ranged from adults to young children. Regular education had not been the norm for them a century or so ago. Now her students were about eight or nine in age. They were the generation that could now grow in the prosperity their parents had hoped for.

One by one the students started to put their hands up. They no longer lived a life where they had to stay silent and hidden away. The soul reapers that now patrolled their streets also protected them. The guards there had the official role of defending them from any rogue hollow. At times though, they did step in to defend them from some of the nobles. Those who had accepted Delilah's husband were not the ones who caused trouble. It was those that turned their nose down at Delilah's soul reaper experience. To this day they viewed that role in her life as inappropriate.

"Saki."

Saki was a petite raven-haired girl who liked to dress in a grey kimono. Some teased her that she was still living as if they were still in poverty. Things had changed now. Now their parents had jobs, now they had homes, now they could enjoy the finer things in life. But Saki did not care for clothes, she was one of the more athletic types, a tomboy?

"With addition two numbers make a bigger number. With subtraction, two numbers make a smaller number."

Some of the other children in the classroom started snickering at her. But they did not have much to laugh about for long until they heard what seemed to be some sort of explosion. Then there was silence, but the laughter did not return. Instead, they stayed subdued as the teacher continued the lesson. She did not take much notice of it, after all, they had just been through the shaking. As far as she was she concerned nothing more could happen. Not even the shaking had been a problem, it was not as if the Seireitei had raised any sort of alarm. The one that would signal some sort of invasion.

"Thank you, Saki."

Saki then went silent. She had done her part, she could go back to being invisible. Having the other students stare and whisper about her, well that was something normal. Her mother always told her to ignore it. Her father always told her to hold her head up high. He assured her that the only reason the other students treated her in such a way was due to jealousy. She was after all the one leading when it came to academic results. Sports not so much, no she preferred to keep her head in a book.

The teacher then turned back to the board and started to write. The usual students that would snicker in the background, did not. They were still shaken by that first explosion. Their teacher may have brushed it off as if it meant nothing, the other students did not. They were still on high alert, after all, they had woken up to the shaking that morning. They had experienced the pandemonium that had come with it too. They had had to go with their parents into the woods where they would not fall under the rubble. But they had also seen those souls that did. It was a still a miracle that even with the injured everyone had survived.

For them to be on edge was a good thing, for when the next explosion came they were the first to jump out of their seats. They were the first to see what looked like cracks running down the walls of their school building. Their building was one of the original ones commissioned by Delilah herself. Their explosions were not the subtle type, they could not be to crack reinforced granite walls otherwise. And whoever had access to such weapons were not their friends.

The shaking was something that had caught most people unawares. Most of those caught up in the chaos were adult and children. They had been the ones trapped under some of the buildings and market stands. Though they had not been the ones tumbling over from the spiritual pressure. Most of them did not even have spiritual pressure so that was the best explanation for that phenomenon. As for the soul reapers, they had suffered the most, only the babies had had a pleasant time. Shirūba Ōji knew that it would devastate Delilah to learn that she had hurt her children. They all had spiritual pressure. The babies in the Seireitei also benefitted. Yes, Shirūba Ōji struck out on his own. He would not let that foreign power take control of Delilah. He would also be the driving force!

Yes, he was the sane one, even as Delilah's anguish had gripped the spirit realms. He stepped up to the plate and made that foreign power back down...for now. The same power that seemed to think that it was in charge. Shirūba Ōji felt that it had taken advantage of Delilah's grief. But for now, the soul society at the very least could recover from the chaos it had caused.

Things seemed to have settled down now and the Rukkon District set to work. The usual marketplace had come to a standstill. For now, there were no plans to reinstate it, everyone was more concerned with picking up the pieces. And yes that even involved commencing search and rescue missions. Many market stalls had collapsed trapping some underneath. Some buildings had also faced the same fate. They were the weaker buildings, the newer ones not overseen by Delilah and Gin Ichimaru. Some might have even considered it to be a temporary building.

So everyone worked together, it was their strength after all. The soul reapers had not come, but they did not resent them for it. After all, no alarms had gone off, so whoever had caused the shaking was not the enemy. Most in the soul society would have never guessed that for a moment there Delilah had lost control. Then again, many of them would have sympathised if they learnt why. For now, they rejoiced that everyone was still alive, even those that they dug out of the ruins. Yes, it seemed that everything could go back to normal now.

The morning market had come to an end, the sellers had nothing left to offer. Instead, they were the ones on the receiving end, it was their buyers that came to their aid. They were the ones that helped the sellers to reerect their stalls. As they did this, they also helped many poor souls trapped underneath. They were only injured at best. Some buildings had collapsed but they had not left any lasting injuries. In some ways, it had sort of saved the rukongai inhabitants that they had not been in their homes the shaking had started.

They had been outside. There had been dangers there, but not in the woods. Most of the children had taken shelter there after all. They did not think about these things now. Now people gathered together their belongings and helped others to do so as well. There had been no stealing and looting during this pandemonium, there had been no need. Plus many of the Rukkon district residents were very close. It had always been that way, especially since there were still some who wanted to cause them pain. As it seemed that those in the Rukkon district had begun to celebrate a little too early.

Had they still be in a state of cautiousness they would have seen it. They would have seen the bright light rushing towards in the centre of the Rukkon district. Some called it the town hall. This was a building that housed all the official documents. That was where you could find things from birth certificates to academic achievements. Keeping everything in one place had seemed to be the easiest option until that moment. And as the bright light hit the building so came the boom heard from miles all around.

With the boom came the cracks. These cracks started from the top of the building, the place of impact. Those closest to it would swear that they heard tearing sounds. It was not that much of a surprise really, not as the cracks grew and grew and grew. These cracks grew so much that the next step could have only been expected. It was a big building it was one of stone, and as it crumbled to the ground, everyone froze. That was the building that they thought would withstand the test of time. it had not, and that was not the worst of it.

No, when the residents started to overcome their shock, they stepped into action. They had to, it had only been an hour or so before that the bookkeepers had entered. Those diligent six who would keep everything organised. They were the volunteers that would liaise with the Seireitei. And as the residents started to dig around in the rumble. They found them, they found all six of them. Some of them would have shaken them awake were they not broken and bloody from the collapsed building. And that was when the closest soul reaper flash-stepped in front of them.

He was the soul whose job it was to guard that part of the Rukkon district. He had done a pitiful job during the shaking. He was still a soul reaper so the power that had come with it had knocked him flat onto his stomach. It was an experience that he did not know if he would ever live down. But now he had more important things to do. Now he tried to use a bit of kidō to resurrect these poor souls. It was no use those six were long gone. So all he could do was look towards the Seireitei and wait, wait until...

He waited until they went off, the alarms, the alarms of war. Instead of running around in panic, the other souls around him also went still. They all knew this sound well, the one that sounded as if something was hitting something. Many wondered why it had not come before. Many had wondered why the Seireitei had not warned them that the shaking had been a declaration of war. But then it seemed that it had not. That had been something else. Now it appeared as if the bombs flying towards the buildings was a more than enough indication for war. It was not every day that the thirteenth division crumbled to the ground.

This soul reaper was only a guard, but even he wondered why the alarms had not gone off before. His first reaction was that that was a sign of war. But then he remembered that they had an ally who could have so much power. Princess Delilah of course. Yes, the same princess who had left for the royal realm over a thousand years ago. She had not made contact with the soul society ever since. At first, people panicked, but now they were only left impatient waiting. She had to turn up sooner or later did she not. Especially since she might end up having to save the soul society once again.

"Daisuke, what is going on?"

Moments later at least another three guards flash stepped to his side. Yes, they were all the guards who acted as the first line of contact between the Seireitei and the Rukkon residents. They had not done their jobs very well. They had been the first to go down. The natives had done better in dealing with the shaking. Then again, they had only succeeded because they had worked together. This was something that the guards would always admire. It was also something that many new academy students were exhibiting.

"The town hall went down, the volunteers, they did not make it. It was a..."

"...targeted attack?"

The guard who answered was the only female amongst them. She was one of those who not at the top of her class. She was from the fifth division. Her best trait was her sociable one. It was the reason why they had assigned her to guard duty. She could be strict and cold when needed. Or she could let loose and show the Rukkon residents that the Seireitei wanted to keep communication open.

"Sango, that was not the only targeted attack you know. I saw the thirteenth division just crumble to the ground. I mean the thirteenth! Squads eleven and twelve, well that happens all the time, but the thirteenth!"

Daisuke could see that the Rukkon residents were starting to get restless now. They had snapped out of their mourning very soon. They were now giving the guards dirty looks. Daisuke could not blame them. He could not even blame them when a young woman came forward. The same who had been wailing about her deceased father sometime before.

"Where are they?!"

The guards looked at each other. Before Delilah's time, this sort of question would have ended up in a confrontation. Back then the Rukkon residents were little better than cannon fodder. The exceptional ones had become soul reapers. The others had become the playthings of some of the richer families. But stuff like that did not happen anymore. These guards came from Delilah's generation. So when Daisuke responded it was of genuine concern.

"Who?"

The young woman's lips quivered a little more, tears still spilling down her face.

"The other soul reapers, why hasn't the Seireitei sent more of you?"

Daisuke's only reaction was to go red in the face, this was not an answer he knew how to answer. Sango was the one to step up. She was the one to take things very slowly. She had the best experience when it came to dealing with delicate situations.

"Do you not think that we are asking the same question too? The first sign of contact that we got from the Seireitei is the current alarms going off. We are just as clueless about what is going on as you are."

The young woman wiped her tears away:

"How could you loose communication now? This is not supposed to happen. Your job was to keep us safe, and now my father...now my father..."

It was not all that much of surprise when her words caused everyone to look over to where her father lay. Yes, he had been one of the first causalities. Many of the guards considered it to be a life wasted. That man had done a lot of good for the community. He had been one of the ones to keep things running smoothly.

"As far as getting orders from the first division, we have received nothing since yesterday. We have tried to reestablish contact, but so far everything has failed."

The other residents were starting to band together now. It was not against the bombs started to drop around them, no they had their sights set on the guards. Daisuke and the other began to back away. They could recognise the atmosphere of anger when they saw it. The invasion alarms were still going off but no one seemed to care. All the Rukkon residents seemed to want to do was to vent. Their chosen targets were the guards themselves. But before the insults could come everyone turned their attention towards the Seireitei.

They saw the barrier crackling and fizzing before it collapsed. Daisuke took out it phone dialling for the first division. There was no answer. More bombs came after that, more buildings started to fall. But there was no division responded to Daisuke's SOS call. All anyone could do was to watch the bombs fall. All they could do was wonder why all communication was down...cut... Yes, that was the only conclusion that Daisuke could come too. Whoever this enemy, were they already embedded right into the Seireitei itself? This was as plain as day, and it was something that terrified most when realised.

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Next week it will become clear just how lucky it was for so many souls to begin exhibiting higher levels of spiritual pressure.**


	14. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 13

**Thank you Windblade67 for your review! Yep it did crumble to the ground just like that, and from this next chapter, you will see that it is not the only one. This enemy is determined to destroy everything. Also since it is the spirit world and you have zanpakutōs like Yamamoto's burning things to nothing, I do not think that it is all that far fetched. They are bombs from afar, there will be assassins and swords up close. The stakes are going to keep getting worse until the big reveal at the end of this arc, Chapter Twenty I think. Yes 1000 years, there was one of those non cannon episodes that suggested that time moved differently in the living world then it did in the soul society. I thought that capitalising on this idea would not be too unbelievable. Yes Shirūba Ōji does have more control. As for Delilah loosing control and loosing control of her powers, has a lot to do with why the enemy also choose to attack at that point. Though what happened to Delilah will only be shown in the next arc (if I get there that is!).**

One or two bombs was worrying, bombs everywhere, well that was cause for increased panic. One by one they started to fall over the soul society. The residents had long since given up trying to go back to their daily lives. Now they were in flight mode, they were angry, they felt like rioting. They might have even gone marching to the Seireitei for not protecting them. In the minds of the Rukkon residents, the soul reapers were the protectors. They were the ones who should face the enemies. They should not have to deal with this sudden invasion on their own.

The worst thing about the situation was that it was not as if the soul reapers could actually come to the rescue. In fact, they would not get out of their divisions let alone the walls of the Seireitei itself. The enemies had locked them in somehow. They had been smart. They had got all the captains away from their divisions before the invasion began. Everything was going too much to plan. Most soul reapers only managed to get out of their divisions once the bombs forced them out. Many serious injuries came as a result, even death.

The soul reapers were too far away to try to help them. Without their captains, things were even harder. They were still trying to deal with how the enemy had gotten into the Seireitei in the first place. Many only realised that the barrier which had protected for so long was no longer there. It had fallen, but that did not mean that they were going anywhere. Not when armies were not approaching them from all sides. Their captains were M.I.A., and it was no coincidence, that was for sure. The breakdown in communications was only making things worse.

So if the soul reapers were not present to fight off the enemies, then who was? Wherever the enemy was leading the charge from, they were no longer holding back? The schools across the soul society began to fall one by one. Students soon came flooding out as the buildings collapsed. Those most affected were the older students, the ones doing exams. Their studies were the most important, but they were the first to react. When the alarms went off, they knew what that meant. The town hall meetings had instructed them on that. And they were the ones who actually dragged their teachers out of the building as well.

There were at least twenty schools that went down. To an outside observer, it was starting to look targeted. Attacking the Seireitei was not that much of a surprise, but the schools. Some of the students thought that schools were a target to wipe out the new generations. But then it became evident that it was something else. Introducing education on a mass scale was a joint venture of Delilah and Gin's part. So by obliterating the buildings, it was as if they wanted to wipe out that legacy.

Yes, the older students had jumped into action, they got everyone to safety. They had felt that something was off long before the alarms sounded. And by their instincts, they had saved more lives than losing them. They stood outside in the sports fields for now. They waited and watched as their school building collapsed into dust. The younger students cried, the teachers seemed to want to join them. This was an ambush, this was not something that no one quite knew how to deal with. One by one the world that she built, Delilah was starting to crumble to the ground. The world which had built a bridge between the Rukkon district and the Seireitei.

But it seemed that things were only poised to get that much worse. The enemies had bombed them out. No one could seek protection anymore, and that was how they seemed to want it. The students who had been crying or in shock at seeing their world gone had more horrors to face. For it was as they stood in the courtyards of their schools that the enemy targeted them head-on. One cloaked figure appeared, then another and another. Some thought it was only an effort to inspire fear, but it was much more than that. As one by one the students across the soul society started to fall to their death.

It was random at best, and it caused panic to run that much higher. Some wanted to run for cover. Some huddled together to shield themselves from the inevitable. And some only waited for death to come. Their world was already falling apart, so it did not make much sense to want to remain in it. The enemy had won, there was no way out, defeat was already long on the menu... until, until something that no one could have anticipated happening. One that would make for the most memorable stories at the end of it all.

For the next time, the enemies came to slim down the crops of students, the older students began to band together. The next time a student had their throat cut, another student leapt into action. It was a boy, who anger rose in what witness could only describe as being rogue reiatsu. This student took no notice. He just rushed forward, push the cloaked figure to the floor. He then punched and punched and punched again. He went so far that once he regained control, the enemy soldier moved not a single muscle.

This was not the only time that the phenomenon occurred. As it was from that moment on that when the enemy soldiers appeared, the older students stepped into action. They did not think, they only let the rogue reiatsu to take over their bodies. They let it lead them straight into battle to wipe out the enemies. Many in the end did not know who they ought to fear. But what they did know that that was the turning point. The random killings happened less and less until all the students were safe. But the older students now riled up for battle knew that for now, they would have to become the soul reapers.

...

Panic, that was the weakness of the untrained. It was not something that any soul reaper of any calibre should have been experiencing. But it was, it most definitely was. Whoever this enemy was, they knew exactly how to immobilise the squads. They knew that no matter what squad, their reliance on their captain was consistent. So what better way to lay siege to the Seireitei then get the captains out of the ways. The captains too had their own problems. After all, in times like this, it would have been the head captain to take charge. But he could not be a part of the war effort, this time.

Yes, the captains were what the made the world of the Seireitei function. It was not a common occurrence for a captain to teach their subordinates to be at a level with them. Not every captain was like Sōsuke Aizen had been. Indeed amongst many circles, he had come to don the nickname kingmaker. It was a cliche title, it was a little off point too. Yet no one could deny that he along with Yamamoto himself had been the only ones to raise new captains. Or in the case of Delilah, a new ruling royal.

The prospect of bombs falling out the sky was not one that the Seireitei had ever faced. In the past, their enemies had come at them head-on. In the past, they had had informants that there were those conspiring against them. There had been none of that sort of information available to them now. The thirteen court guard squads had nothing to go on. This was not something that sat well with either one of them. Especially not when it came to the thirteenth division. They were the ones the least prepped for this sort of battle.

Their squad building was the first to collapse into nothingness. For outside spectators, it would have been the most horrendous sight. For those belonging to that division not so much. They had all been trying to get out of there for a long time. So when the place that had become their prison did, in fact, crumble around them, they took it as an escape route. The thing was though, they would not get very far. Not when upon getting ready to head towards the first division, the enemy armies came their way. And they all knew that this was not a battle they could avoid.

Squad ten found themselves in a situation a little more favourable. From the moment that the bomb hit their squad, they were already on high alert. From the moment that cracks began to appear on the inner walls, Rangiku was ready. She was the lieutenant with the youngest captain. This would usually work to their disadvantage. Having a young captain like Tōshirō at times meant that he did not have the same experience as the others. It meant that he might not react in the right way. But now this provided to put the tenth in the best position.

Tōshirō had been a teen when he had the role of captain thrust upon him. The tenth still at times saw him as their child. They let him do the paperwork, give him the illusion of control. But when it came to the nitty-gritty, well they were the ones who would act without orders. Rangiku was the official figurehead in such situations. She was the most senior, she ought to have been captain. And with Tōshirō away, she was the one who marched everyone out of the barracks. That way they did not get caught under the rubble.

The thirteenth was now facing an army, the tenth was now dealing with assassins. The seventh though, they had jumped the gun. At the slightest whiff of trouble, Tetsuzaemon came out of his office to gather the other seated officers. Their captain was at the meeting. This was something they all knew. They also knew that this was the ideal time for an enemy to attack if they wanted to. So they did not hesitate to gather the rest of the division. This was all done in one order, get your weapons ready.

It was a good order too, considering that from the moment they had left the barracks, the enemy came. There was no doubt that these enemy forces had been waiting. They had all clustered into the prime positions after all. These soldiers were the ultimate turncoats. Thus making them the perfect army in this sort of situation. They were mismatches in some case, but they all had one goal, destroy the Seireitei. If their higher-ups would have paid them to do it, it would not have been such an effective ambush. No their desire to destroy the Seireitei was personal.

The only squad that had decided not to go through with the confrontation was the twelfth division. For now, it seemed that the enemy was avoiding to drop bombs on them. It was most likely thanks to their own captain's tendencies to at times blow his surroundings up. It was because of this that the twelfth had the best defences. They might have been the crazy bunch, but they sure knew how to scheme. And they were also the only division who still had somewhat of a connection to the first.

Squad twelfth was not a division of fighters. Some might have even considered them to be the opposite of squad eleven. No this was a division that prided itself in the subtler sciences of war. They were the ones who had built up the communication networks after all. It infuriated them to no end that it should fail. Their first job was to stabilise the links to the first division, then to the others. If they could after that, they would reach out to the rest of the soul society. At the moment they had a fair chance to succeed. Though that depended on whether the enemy would still consider to target them given the risks.

...

So if their comrades in the Seireitei were on the edge of panic. The guards left over in the Rukkon districts were doing quite well then. Neither one of them could quite see the point of such an extreme emotion anymore. Unlike in the Seireitei where the squads were beginning to get overwhelmed. In the soul society, these guards could see a ray of hope. Why? It was quite simple yet miraculous, they had other soul reapers on their side now. And to think that this increased rise of spiritual pressure among the Rukkon residents was actually a bad thing.

It was not a bad thing, it was, in fact, turning the tide in their favour. The guards fought at times, but if anything they were trying to maintain a semblance of order. Chaos ensued, destruction happened, that was what the enemy wanted. The guards had no clue what their higher-ups were thinking at that moment. All they could see from the outside was that the Seireitei was also suffering from an ambush. But the guards did not worry about that now. Instead, they helped the most vulnerable to navigate away from the danger zones. It was the least that they could do.

Yes, they all had good intentions in mind, but things were still descending into a war zone. They still had to engage the assassins that came their way in battle. Though it soon became clear that they were not the target of the enemy. It was those that they were guarding who were. These Rukkon residents were those much more advanced in age. They were the ones who could not move around all that well. But in this sort of situation, not staying in the same spot was the safest thing to do. It lessened the chances of any of them getting killed.

They were now in the thick of things, they were holding on, just about. But there were some who lost their lives. Some of them were on their side the others lying dead on the ground were the enemy fighters themselves. Things were getting very bloody now. In the past enemies had always attacked the Seireitei in some form or another. Now the enemy seemed to want to bring about destruction to the whole of the soul society. Some could only speculate why this was. Though as a whole the soul society could agree that returning to how things once were would not be a good thing.

Things seemed to be simmering along for now. The guards remained separate for most of the time. They were each transporting vulnerable people. Some of them had thought to seek refuge with them in the living world. But then, they were also not going to run away from the battle either. So when the guards did meet up once again, it was Daisuke who brought up the suggestion anew.

"Should we trying to cross over?|

Another guard was quick to respond:

"Are you sure that you are thinking right in the head Daisuke? You know that if we tried to cross over with an official pass to do so we will end up in the Dangai. We could survive it, those who are fighting back might even be able to. But do you really think that those we are protecting could do so? They are vulnerable for a reason."

Daisuke hung his head in defeat. Most of his fellow guardsmen were still attempting to do things by the book. But it was starting to become more and more pointless. It was not as if the Seireitei could actually send them reinforcements.

Considering that they were now all together, Daisuke not long after choose to take a detour. Some might call it sulking that they did not pay attention to his suggestion. Some might call it blowing off some steam. Some might call him reckless for striking out on his own. Things might no longer be looking so bleak, but the enemy had the numbers. The enemy had blocked them off from the Seireitei. It was all a matter of time until the enemy would once again gain the upper hand. Daisuke could not ignore the dead bodies he had seen in the street after all.

So he walked and walked and walked, he did consider making that crossing himself. But before he could even undertake such a risky thing, he found a bag placed over his head. His first reaction was to reach for his zanpakutō. That led to it being knocked right out of his hands. He then tried kicking and screaming. He knew that it was a childish manoeuvre. Whoever had blindsided him, would most likely think of it as one too. And Daisuke hoped to throw them off, to let him go so he could make a run for it.

Yet such drastic measures were not required. Yes, they dragged and dragged and dragged him away. His surrounding suddenly began stuffy. He took that as a sign that he was no longer out in the fresh air. And then the bag on his head soon disappeared. The first thing to hit him was the artificial low light, one that his eyes had to accustom to. He appeared to be on the floor amongst some boxes. He might have searched through them too if he did not overhear voices. Ones that lead him to creep towards the exit.

"Whoever this enemy is, they had been biding their time."

"For hundreds, if not thousands of years..."

"They waited until Delilah was out of the way..."

"Are you so sure about that? What if the enemy is also there?"

"Do you think that there are traitors that high up?"

"There must be. It could be the same enemy that had been trying to wipe out the Ukitake clan ever since the breakup."

Daisuke found himself slipping out of the side room towards the one with the fireplace. This seemed to belong to a compound of sorts. And as his eyes scanned the walls, he saw it, the family emblem belonging to none other than the Kyōrakus.

 **Oh a twist, though it looks like with most of the soul reapers cut off, it is up to the nobles to step up. Until next time!**


	15. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 14

****Welcome back everyone, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Please read** **and review!****

 **Thank you Windblade67 for your review! **It's interesting that you brought up the 'cut off the head of the snake and the body will die'. I had not specifically thinking of that concept. As a writer I also read a lot so I suppose that I must have subconsciously picked up that idea. I am pleased that it has been working out so well. Yes wiping out the Ukitake clan, I don't want to divulge too much, but let us just say that in part two I am trying to resolve a massive loose end that was present in part one. Everything has to do with Delilah(the fourth arc will** **explore the breakup more in detail). I know that I sped things up, but I was worried that things were lagging a bit. Thank you for the motivation, as it happens I have a rough idea what will happen in this arc and the next three arcs. I am hoping that the fifth arc will become clearer once I get closer. Yes sometimes I feel like I am burned out, I am even suffering from a cold at the moment. Thank you for your continued support, I really appreciate it :)****

Daisuke had done it. He had gone through to the other room. He had not held himself back, he had gone into a full confrontation. If these were normal times he would have never sought out these sort of people, these nobles. The Ruskin residents at times felt uncomfortable around the nobles. Daisuke could not blame them, he tried to avoid them if he could help it. He was one of those who would stay away from the sixth. That was the division that practically belonged to those uppity noble classes. But then these nobles were not the typical sort. This was obvious from how their familial residence was not in fact in the Seireitei itself. Most nobles chose to move their compounds there. They did not want to associate with the Rukongai filth as some saw them. No that was something that they left up to the thirteen court guard squads. But then the Kyoraku and the Shiba clan as he came to learn lived amongst that filth. And they did not seem to mind it. They did not hide away like most of the noble clans would. No, they convened and they marched, right into the midst of battle.

Now for most, seeing these soldiers entering into battle, this was a reason to panic even more. To them, it looked like a siege, especially since they were not paying full attention to the insignias on the robes. Daisuke was perhaps the only one not to freak out. He was a lot more privy to the plans after all. He had been the one kidnapped, though he was glad to have had the chance. Yes, that sounded strange even to him, but because they had snatched him away, he knew things that others did not. He knew just how important these noble clans joining the battle at that point currently was. Just like he remembered the greatest revelation he had received that day:

"The captains, they are trapped, are they not."

"Barricaded right into the first division more like."

"They have been trying to get back to their divisions."

"They have been doing a poor job at it."

"Well, that is why we now have to help them out."

These were only some of the things that he had overheard. It was enough though, it was enough for Daisuke to deduce their plans. Even if they were in some ways using forceful tactics to plough their way through the soul society.

At first, Daisuke had tried to join these soldiers, but they just ended up brushing him off. They saw him as a pest at best. Daisuke might have gotten defensive, but then there was no time for such a thing. This was a time of war and he wanted to be of use in some way. So the best he could come up with was to approach the other guards. They were poised to fight against these new soldiers. Daisuke did not want them to waste their energy. He knew what these soldiers had planned. They were very skilled. And the very best the other guards could do was to get out of their way.

"Stand back, these soldiers are on our side."

Yes, many of the guards had awoken their shikais at that point. They looked at him in disbelief.

"What are you saying Daisuke? They stormed on the battlefield and they don't seem to be helping us."

Daisuke knew they had a point, so he decided to come clean:

"Not directly, they are planning to storm the Seireitei. It's our captains that can best help us now anyway."

Admitting the truth seemed to work out for the better. The guards did not quite believe him, but at least they stopped any plans to confront these new soldiers. If anything they began to talk amongst themselves, well as much as they could with enemy forces still determined to take them out. Yes, they still attacked, but Daisuke was starting to see something more strange. Before the enemy seemed to be quite smug in their position. They seemed quite sure that nothing would fail. But with the Kyōraku and the Shiba clan armies heading closer to the Seireitei. Daisuke was starting to realise that rather than attacking the soul society, they were attempting to hold back the advancing armies instead.

"Hey Daisuke, do you see what we all see."

It was his female colleague who spoke up, but she appeared to be speaking for all of them. Their fight against the enemy was becoming less of a problem now. The enemy was now in full defence mode.

"Yes, the enemy does not want the anyone breaking through the blockade they put on the Seireitei."

Some of the guards looked at him as if he had grown another head. Alas, it appeared as if they had not put two and two together. They had not realised that the enemy was the reason why the Seireitei was cut off from them.

"No Daisuke, you are missing the point."

Now it was Daisuke's turn to furrow his eyebrows:

"I am not sure what you mean Sango."

Now the time had come for the other guards to look smart. It seemed that whilst he had been whisked away by the nobles, his comrades had figured something out:

"After you told us that the captains were also blockaded, you got us thinking."

Daisuke cocked his head.

"Are you saying that the enemy is trying to hold back those soldiers for another reason than to keep the captains trapped?"

Sango narrowed his eyes:

"This enemy got one up on us. They took over very quickly, and now they are panicking at the prospect of the Seireitei being invaded. Are you sure that you have not connected the dots together yet?"

Daisuke wanted to shake his head. In some ways he was annoyed. The other guards had had time for such speculations. Did that mean that they were flaking out when it came to fighting off the enemy?

"Why is there something important that I missed?"

But before any of the guards could vocalise a clear answer, the enemy forces gathered around the outer walls of the Seireitei. At first, the guards thought that the enemies were now acting as bodyguards themselves. They did not expect the same guards to lift their hands. They did not expect them to start chanting. It seemed to be some sort of kidō spell, one that might have ended up being illegal. Everything happened so fast, that no one could quite react in time. They could not anticipate what could happen when the enemies joined their hands. As everyone watched the enemy armies' spiritual pressure come forth as they all let off on blinding glow. It was not only a mechanism to blind everyone around them. For the moment that happened, the explosions also came. It was so devastating that the Kyōraku and the Shiba armies could no longer progress forward, they had to run in the opposite direction. Why? Well because whatever this kidō spell was it should be criminal. That chant had turned out to be a death chant. As the thousands of enemies that had made rings around the outer walls of the Seireitei used their own bodies as the bombs themselves.

Use their bodies as bombs themselves, yes that was even something that Daisuke would not have believed. But then it was not as if he had any sort of choice in the matter. No, he was there right up and personal when the enemy took that last shot yet rather a suicidal move. Daisuke could not stay and watch everything. Just like the Kyōraku and the Shiba armies also could not. No everyone had to run for cover. So the only confirmation of the outer walls of the Seireitei crumbling to the ground was the sound of something collapsing to the ground.

Most had survived the blast, the enemies who had been so reckless had not. In fact, there were no signs of those thousands upon thousands of fighters left. It seemed as if they had used their last move and lost their lives by doing so, and for what? They had had a monology on the communications between the Seireitei and now they had relished control. Did it really count all that much for keeping them away from approaching the first division? Or did the enemy really think that they would be able to wipe all of them out with that large explosion?

No, it looked like they did not, even the enemy appeared to react to this. Whoever was in control had sacrificed their soldiers' lives and now they had gone back to dropping bombs again. This time they did not target buildings, this time they targetted everyone. The battlefield was now starting to get bloody. The guards who had been protecting the vulnerable ones also feel under these attacks. Every boom that fell left devastation in its path. It seemed that now that the enemy had destroyed the buildings, they were now on their last mission, wipe them all out.

Daisuke along with everyone else was now running for their lives. No sort of strict strategy would save them now. All that could be getting out of the way for the next bomb that would drop on them. Daisuke just kept on running, he was just like everyone else now. Panic was starting to take hold. Even if he felt that he should be grateful that he could in fact move. The shaking had left him unable to do so. And now that he did, well he faced a terrible sight. The one in which his comrades fell, never to wake.

Sango was the last to fall, and that was when Daisuke stopped in his tracks. Sango had been a friend even if she had been annoying. A few more years and their relationship might have turned into something more, something more intimate. And that was what spurred him into action, that was what got him to go to her side. As it was from there that he watched Sango coughing up blood from the wound in her stomach. It was a horrible wound, and so was his attempt to summon to healing kidō to the palm of his hands.

He placed his hands on her stomach. He tried to rack his brain for the snippets of healing that he did understand. It did not work, even Sango told him that, with her last words that were:

"You trying kaido, really Daisuke, you are no Izuru, and even he came short when trying to use it without the proper training…"

Sango let out another cough, as the blood splattered all over Daisuke's face. But he did not care to wipe it off as tears started to well in his eyes as Sango stopped moving.

Daisuke also stopped moving as he let the tears run freely down his cheeks. It was not as if Sango could see them anymore, she was gone. Could it be that there was no point fight this battle any longer? Or was this a setback? Sango had tried to tell him something about why the enemy forces had tried everything to stop them from gaining access to the Seireitei. It made Daisuke wonder if perhaps he should join the nobleman armies. A part of him felt that he should at least try to get into the Seireitei especially now that the enemy forces had broken down the walls.

The battle still continued on as Daisuke remained motionless, watching the world pass around him. The armies were now engaging battle. They were also the ones guiding the young souls who had awakened their own reiatsus very early. Daisuke had heard of the rumours of the heightened among of spiritual awakenings across the soul society. And now as he watched the young ones running to protect the vulnerable. Daisuke realised that there must have been some in the air warning of this coming battle and trigger more souls' reiatsu to come forth as a result.

Eventually, Daisuke did rise from the ground, the window for healing had passed. But then that was not something that he was trained for anyway. Delilah was well known for having training in such thing, most speculated that it had to do with Sōsuke Aizen. Then again, everything about Delilah and Gin Ichimaru had to do with Aizen. Daisuke managed a strained smile when he realised that the quiet fifth division had duped them all. He had turned into a hugely influential force, history books were even starting to call him the queenmaker. But that seemed a bit far-fetched since from what Daisuke knew, Delilah only held the title of soul princess.

Another reason for Daisuke to begin grinning like an idiot was because of something more present. It was a reflection of the enemy's tactics. The enemy forces had managed to get them all fleeing in the opposite direction but now they were gone, and that meant that the Kyōraku and the Shiba armies could resume their march. And Daisuke allowed himself to get swept up by their movement, it was a steadfast way to get into the Seireitei. It was something that many others would want to do now that it was naked to the rest of the soul society.

So naked in fact that once Daisuke crossed over the threshold where the wall once stood, he saw them. He saw hundreds, thousands of soul reapers standing around the places were their division buildings once stood. The bombs that were now going off outside the Seireitei were devastating enough. But as more and more of them entered the Seireitei, they realised that it had become a safe ground for now. For whatever reason, the enemy no longer seemed intent on destroying more of the Seireitei. Most of the division buildings would need rebuilding if this war ever came to an end.

Daisuke had seen blood and death, he had been in the midst of battle. These soul reapers tethered to the Seireitei were still reeling from the destruction which lay around them. They had not seen death, well not proper death. They had not seen innocent young children have their throats slit. They had faced the armies and they had survived. These armies had disappeared or maybe they retreated. Whatever they were planning Daisuke did not think about. No, he was in awe of another change in events, the noble clans had come out of hiding.

Now, most of the noble clans lived within the Seireitei. This had been the best way to protect them in the past, but not this time around. No, this time their places of residence had also been bombed to the ground. It seemed that whoever this enemy was, they did not care just who they were targetting. They only seemed to want complete and utter destruction. And as Daisuke watched these other noble clans communicate with the Kyōrakus and the Shibas, Daisuke was starting to wonder just what it was that connected them all together.

Daisuke thought that the other Kuichikis, the Fons, the Omeadas, the Kiras and the Kasumiōji would have gone underground. He did not expect them to disperse themselves across the Seireitei and the soul society to help out those who were in need. Indeed they seemed to be taking the roles of leadership now that the soul reaper divisions seemed paralysed. Yes, the captains were still very much stuck in the first division and getting to them were becoming paramount. Even the Shihoins and the Ukitakes had come into the picture. No doubt the Ukitake siblings were worried about the health of their elder brother.

Daisuke turned to one of the Shiba soldiers, asking:

"What's up with the delay? I thought that getting the captains out of the first division was important."

The Shiba soldier gave him a long odd look before answering:

"Don't you think that you should rest up for a bit? You have been through a lot. The other noble clans need time to disperse to help those across the soul society… You soul reapers seem incapable of doing your jobs, so we are doing it for you."

Daisuke gritted his teeth but watched the solider. His response had been brash, but could it be that he was hiding something. Could it be that there was a reason why the Kyōraku and the Shiba clans had gone into retreat? No Daisuke was not privy to such things. He looked towards the Shihoin and the Omeada clan members talking amongst themselves. They seemed to be worried about Captain Soi Fon. It was a strange thing for Daisuke to see. In some ways, the worry on their faces appeared to be genuine. They seemed to be acting out of true concern. They both seemed to see Soi Fon as part of their family.

Time seemed to keep on swimming past them as Daisuke did, in fact, allow himself to breathe. He had let himself relax so much that he did not notice the armies from the other clans beginning to come together. Daisuke had instead taken to watching the Ukitakes now. They looked rugged, they seemed to have been fighting. But then the Ukitakes and the Kyōrakus had always been some of the more proactive clans. Those two clans had always been so close those no one could quite figure out just why that was.

The only time Daisuke realised that he should have checked in with that Shiba soldier was went thousands of soldiers began marching towards the first division once again. Daisuke looked to his left and then to his right not sure just how he was supposed to respond. He had not considered that the nobles had been thinking of landing some sort of surprise attack. But then no one seemed to be expecting what happened when they got too close. They had not been a barrier rise up and crackle and fizz. They would not have expected to see that the armies were still very much present within the Seireitei. They were still engaged in a battle with the captains by the looks of things. The fact that no one had realised this meant one thing. The barrier that had once acted as a shield and a privacy wall for the Seireitei was now serving that function for the first division. Daisuke and many others had thought that barrier had been destroyed, but no, it looked like the enemy had now taken control of it now.

 **Please take a moment to review :)** **Until next time!**


	16. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 15

**Thank you Windblade67 for your review! Daisuke was one of the guards patrolling the soul society at the end of chapter 13. He was not kidnapped exactly but picked up by the Kyōraku clan who had been patrolling the area. Let us just say that they gave him a momentary break from the battle (I also struggled to come up with a unique way to suggest the noble clans entering onto the battle field). Also not all the noble clan armies were annihilated in the blast. There were some casualties when the barrier was blown up. And the answer to the weapon that was used, it was that the people did become bombs themselves by using illegal kidō. Yes the nobles have stepped into the mix, though I will reveal they were pivotal to the original apprenticeship system to fight of hollows in the fight place. I have a lot more things planned but it is all a matter if I managed to write them or not. I have just been getting so swamped that writing this story is becoming harder and harder. I think after I finish this arc in the next three chapters (not including this one!), I am going to take a break. Thanks once again!**

When the wall went up it was not panic that swept across the masses, it was a mind-numbing shock! Most still held their weapon in their hands in case they were attacked, but still, they stood frozen. This war was just going on and on and on. This enemy was really starting to wear them out or wear them down. Many were beginning to grow weary of this fight. As many of them had also had to deal with the full effects of the shaking too. It appeared that no matter how much they fought, the enemy was always one step ahead. How were they supposed to fight such a foe?

This was a question that even many noble clans were starting to discuss amongst themselves in hushed voices. Some considered simply charging for the barrier to bring it down. Others worried that by destroying such a powerful barrier, they might not be able to create another one. No one quite knew who had created it in the first place, so bringing it down did not seem like the best idea. But then, having the enemy using it was also not good either. Yet that did not mean that they could do nothing.

By that point, it was not only the Shibas and the Kyōrakus who had lead the battle but other minor nobles had also joined. The Kira clan was there, the Kotetsus and even the Ukitakes. Yes, the Ukitake siblings were there, they spoke in hushed voices too.

"So Kenji how is elder brother going to get out now?"

Kenji gave her a strained smile. His youngest sister, his only sister now that Mimi was no longer around. He knew that Jūshirō had not personally got rid of her, but he had not batted an eyelid when she had been taken down by a hollow. Yes, Jūshirō was still very protective of Delilah, even if Delilah was not around at the moment. Sometimes Kenji wondered why Jūshirō bothered being a father at all when it was obvious that Sōsuke Aizen had long since taken over the job.

"Kenji!" his sister called to his attention but his other brothers also looked at him expecting an answer.

"Hey, why are you asking me? You know that Jūshirō is the captain, the one that leads. How am I supposed to know how to set him free? It's not as if anyone is going to tell me anything."

But before Kenji knew what to do next, his siblings gathered around him. He looked to his left and then his right, suddenly nervous as to what was going through their mind. He feared that they might pummel him or something with the anger etched into their facial features. He did not expect them to push him forward more and more and more until he found himself standing in front of none other then Sōnosuke Kyōraku. He might have even considered making a dash for it. But he could not, not with the elder noble's eyes now resting on him.

"And what is it that you want from us, young Ukitake?"

Kenji could not help but pick at the corner of his fingers. He would have loved at that moment to look back at his other siblings to give them his best Jūshirō glare. He could, not when even Kūkaku Shiba looked like she might eat him if he did not give them a worthy response:

"My siblings and I…we were wondering…"

Sōnosuke crossed his armed, as the metal plates of his armour tightened around his arms. Yes, he was that sort of noble that charged with his army rather than waiting on the sidelines.

"You were wondering what boy, spit it out…we don't have much time."

Kenji frowned at the prospect of time, so he chose to speak his mind hoping that things would go smoothly.

"Should we go into retreat? That barrier is important…"

Sōnosuke cocked his head, eyes narrowing. In some ways, Kenji took it that this noble was looking at him as if he were the one not quite right in the head. Kenji said nothing, only waiting for answers:

"Usually we would retreat but the thing is we need access to your brother. We believe that he has information, the information we should know…"

Now it was Kenji's time for his eyes to go narrow. He might have even given Sōnosuke a 'you are crazy' look, but he did not believe that he could quite pull it off. Instead, he decided to turn around and when he caught sight of his siblings, he did end up giving them his best glare. They only shrugged and laughed at him. Yes, it seemed that even they did not take him seriously anymore. That was because Jūshirō did not really lean on him that much either.

When he chose to look back at Sōnosuke, he saw something that he had not been expecting. He saw many of the other noble clans starts to approach the Kyōrakus and the Shibas. He saw emblems belonging to the Kuchiki clan, the Shiohoins, the Kasumiojis, the Fon and even the Ōmeda clan. This sudden migration of souls did not make sense, especially since these were all nobles. Nobles who he had thought would have retreated long along, but they did not. They were here now, brandishing weapons by the looks of it.

Kenji looked at his siblings and the nobles and then back again. He wondered if perhaps joining in might be a good idea. But then he realised that he and his siblings would be needed elsewhere. Yes, the other nobles seemed to have their mind on a mission and this worked against them. For it was that moment that one by one swarm of hollows started to appear all over the soul society, menos grande. The same sort that Mimi had lost her life too. But that did not matter as much as what Kenji realised at the moment, somehow, the enemy was watching them.

...

The other nobles around him did not see this though, no they were too busy with starting their formations. Sōnosuke Kyōraku had given them an indication of storming the barrier, but was it really that much of a good idea? Somehow the enemy was watching them, and he wondered if others had considered this possibility. If they were being watched, then the enemy would also see the nobles assembling themselves. The nobles sure were taking their sweet time about it too. So wherever the enemy was watching them from, well they also had all the time in the world in which to prepare.

So Kenji headed just as Sōnosuke was also about to join the formation, calling out to him:

"Is that really the best decision to make? I mean, haven't you thought, that maybe just maybe the enemy might be watching us…"

Sōnosuke gave him a long hard look. The other nobles around them were also catching onto the situation. They were also starting to talk amongst themselves. They were even starting to laugh, so much that Kenji had to divert his eyes to the floor as he started to go red in the face. Next time keeping things to himself would be for the best.

"You don't know what you are talking about brat? Really how am I supposed to take you seriously when you are not even a proper Ukitake. Jūshirō is close to the original state of the clan, Delilah, well she is a pureblood, but you… You are nothing more than a little pest in the way of us true nobles. You are so weak, you and your siblings might as well be demoted to vassal clan statues. But you would pale in comparison to the original vassals of the Ukitake clan anyway."

Kenji Ukitake did not quite understand what Sōnosuke was on about. If anything it seemed that the noble had tried his best to insult him, but he had not done a good job of it. He had said a bunch of stuff that even the other nobles did not quite seem to understand. The only one that might have a clue what Sōnosuke was on about would be none other then Jūshirō himself. His elder brother seemed to be struggling with information he could not handle. Information that was making his bubbly persona melt away to reveal the rage that was becoming harder to contain.

At the moment Kenji was starting to think that mustering some of that rage for himself would have been a very good idea. It might have helped others to take him more seriously, but then there was that roaring in the background. The roaring was actually getting closer, and these nobles did not want him around. So Kenji stepped back and joined his siblings. All of them could see that those hollows were a problem. The enemy probably released them to cause havoc as well. So Kenji decided that if he could not help liberate his brother, he could try to help the others in the soul society.

In fact, many of the soul reapers from the other divisions started to band together as well. The lieutenants were getting into full form now. They had all wanted to find a way out of the Seireitei and now they had it. They knew that the war was far from over, but they also wanted to make sure that the Rukkon residents did not think they had been abandoned. And as Kenji joined his division, the eighth, they all started to charge to battle much to the delight of all the Rukkon residents.

The noble clans and their armies did not take much notice of this. No, they were all out in the open, well they had been bombed out of their homes. They had stepped up because the captains had not been able to step up. They had relied on the thirteen court guard squads for a very, very long time, but once upon a time, they had been the ones to control the workings of the soul society. And one-day history books would reveal that at such a time there was no such thing as the royal realm or even Hueco Mundo.

Nonetheless, when people looked back on this time, they would ooh and aah at the side of rings and rings and rings of these nobles surrounding the first division. Mind you not every member of the nobles joined this assembly, not everyone had a zanpakutō to call their own. That decline was down to many nobles getting a little too comfortable. It was fortunate that their armies still communicated with thirteen divisions. It meant that at times like this they were still able to take over and do something that most captains would not even think about.

Yes, they awakened their zanpakutō and as they did, they began to charge, charge right towards that barrier. It was not a barrier that they themselves had created, so bringing it down was not something that they would have any qualms with. They were instead going to charge, and raise their spiritual pressure in anticipation for when they collided with the barrier once more. Once that happened, it was like hitting a brick wall and confronting a force that kept wanting to push them back. This was the barrier less invasive defences at play.

So they worked in unison, trying to channel their own spiritual pressures right into the barrier. They hoped that it would weaken, but it was really resilient this time around. In fact, the barrier pretty much remained intact until the Shiōhoin slipped away onto to return with none other than two shields. From miles away, everyone would hear the shout: "Release the Sōkyoku!". And once that bird came to life, it also attacked the barrier straight on. It screeched and it flew closer and closer. It was a magnificent yet a terrifying creature. And it was the Shiōhoin shields that would eventually deactivate it when the barrier finally came down.

...

War was never an affair to be celebrated, not with the devastation that came with it. It had been almost a week now, as the soul society had endured the shaking only to then face the invasion. In some ways, Delilah might have inadvertently assisted the enemy in their attack, but how could she help the effects of facing complete desperation. And then she also had to consider that that power was not exactly being all that cooperative either. No wonder why Shirūba Ōji often struggled to stick around. Delilah was his, and he was Delilah's and that would never change.

But the shaking had long since gone, and the captains had not even given themselves a chance to recover. Of course, their main intention was to get back to their divisions and prepare for war. They had not succeeded in that endeavour, they had not even managed to get out of the first division. That was where the armies had faced them, and they kept coming and coming and coming. The captains fought, but they were growing tired, much like the rest of the society who had not returned to their homes in days. But what shook these captains the most were the familiar faces they saw in the enemy armies. They saw soul reapers who had once served within their divisions.

These invading forces had monopolised most of their time, but that did not mean that they were completely blind to the outside world. They had seen the hours passing as the sun was up in the sky and then went back down again. They had fought the waves and waves of the armies. These armies were like ants coming from all angles, but it was not as if they could see that. No, what they looked at their surroundings further away from the first division, they took notices of the barrier, and how strange it had been acting.

The barrier they were used to was the one that had separated the Seireitei from the soul society. Initially, it's function was to protect the Seireitei even if the soul society was under attack. The barrier was also what made the Seireitei the safest place for the nobles to also reside. But the barrier had not stopped the bombs falling into the Seireitei. Those bombs seemed to have come within the Seireitei itself. And even the captains had started to question if the barrier was still under their control, especially since it was now almost in touching distance as it enveloped the area containing the first division.

The barrier moving around was disconcerting but having the barrier flicker and crackle, well that made them even more worried. Some of them had come to accept the unfortunate reality that however things were panning out, the enemy had managed to get into the Seireitei. They considered therefore that since the enemy was inside, those in the soul society would not be affected. The nobles might be, but the captains knew that they had their own personal armies which would protect them. But from the flickering and the crackling, they were starting to realise that there was also another force trying to invade them from the outside.

Now, this was something that caused concern for even the top brass fighters like Kenpachi and Retsu. They had pretty much done the long burst of pushing back the armies. That was what they cared about, and they had also developed some sort of language with their fighting. They seemed to connect and Kenpachi might have even starting hopping around like a mad bunny rabbit when Retsu did not seem disgusted by his presence. If they managed to get through this war then maybe he would take a leaf out of Ikkaku's book.

But then perhaps this war was one that they would not survive, not when with the flicker of the barrier, the captains saw what awaited them on the other side. There were more armies, pounding at the barrier, waiting to invade them. Their sheer numbers were starting to cause some of the younger captains to freeze in terror. They had fought for so long, but they were now truly beginning to think that there was no end inside for them. No matter what they did, they would end up losing anyway.

When Kenpachi saw that bird, he almost dropped his blade altogether. He expected Retsu to give him a good scolding, but she had also followed suit. In fact, both the captains and the invading armies on the inside of the barrier had dropped their weapons. They all turned their attention to the barrier, and they all went silent as they heard the screeching of that bird. That bird, the Sōkyoku. It was a weapon that could eviscerate everyone. And it was also that one that was now going head first into the barrier, which the final blow needed to dissolve the barrier altogether.

But as the barrier came down, the force was so great, that it ended up wiping out rows and rows of the armies that kept on advancing towards the captains. It was almost poetic justice seeing the enemy once again being wiped out by the tool that they thought would protect them. The captains were not affected when the barrier fell, they were far enough from the barrier to not get caught up in the Sōkyoku's purification. Such a thing would have no doubt wiped them out too. And when that bird returned to its slumber that was the first sign that these armies were not the enemy.

Many of the captains had allowed themselves to collapse to the floor. They wanted to catch their breath. The first waves of enemy armies were gone. Kenpachi Zaraki would not allow himself to rest, as he almost told them in a shout:

"Now is not the time to take a breath, these buggers just keep on coming!"

Kenpachi looked to Retsu expecting her to join him in his endeavour until she told him in a tone of relief:

"Surely Kenpachi, sure you were the first to see the emblems on their uniforms. Surely someone like you would whiff out a flood of nobles from a mile away."

 **I hope that time span of this war was believable. I realised that I was going to face a big plot hole if I did not make the war longer, a plot hole that would not make sense when it comes to 'The Fall of the Royal Realm' arc. Well if I get there that is, until next time!**


	17. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 16

**Welcome back, please read and review!**

Kenpachi may have only been able to greet Retsu's statement with the look of a goldfish. Other captains gave her a few raised eyebrows. Retsu though did not relent, in fact, she toned down her fighting little by little. Some of the captains took this as she was tired, she had taken on a lot over the last week. Many other captains were now ready to step up, or at the very least to pitch in. They knew that they would have to fight, even if there seemed to be no end in sight. Well not until that very moment in time.

No, it seemed that they did not need to fight. The barrier was down, but the armies on the other side, they were not coming for them. No, they were going head first into the constant waves of enemies that the captains had been fending off for days now. These new armies did indeed share the many noble clan emblems prominent in the Seireitei and indeed the soul society. And from the way these armies wiped out wave after wave of the enemy, the captain realised they were facing allies. Allies who soon managed to wipe out the enemy forces…for now.

When all the captains understood what Retsu had told them to be true, they sheathed their blades. The nobles were here to help them, no matter how surreal the reality of that actually seemed. The nobles were fighting when that was a responsibility they had dumped onto the thirteen court guard squads in the past. It was one of the main reasons why they had also disapproved so much of Delilah becoming a soul reaper. But now the nobles no longer resisted the fight, they had become like Delilah, unlike many other times, and they had jumped right into the deep end.

And the first noble clan to approach the first division were the Fon clan. They had no symbol that differentiated them, they had the Shiohoin clan symbol. It was much like the Kiras, and the Kotetsus and the Ise also shared emblems with the higher ranking clans as well. Most had come to accept it as being normal, no one considered the origins of such a setup. No one seemed to care to be honest. The old ways were only starting to shine through now that the Fon clan hurried forward making their demands:

"Who needs emergency medical attention?!"

If anyone else had said it then it may have sounded like the question that it was supposed to be. But it came from representatives of the Fon clan. They were the forceful types, much like the captains of the second division. In some ways, having a bumbling head like Õmeada for a captain meant that at least Soi Fon's often warlike directives was softened by the time her lieutenant passed round her orders. They all saw him as a fool, but his position was vital in making sure that there was at least someone in the second division who could relax. Yoruichi could flip between serious and playful as easily as flipping a coin. Soi Fon could not, so Ōmeada was the one who became the playful one.

But now they were at war, so the captains did not leer or try to push the Fon representatives away. Instead, it was Retsu Unohana who stepped forward to greet them. She might have been the head of the fourth division, but even she recognised the need to ask for help in this situation:

"Please come through, the head captain will need to be removed from as quickly as possible from this battlefield."

Yes, Retsu's words were right to the point, authoritative even, and whilst the Fon clan would have lashed out if it had come from anyone else. Even they were not immune to that cold murderous glare that Retsu would use when she expected others to follow through on her directives. The Fon clan instead gave her respect, she was after all one of the oldest captains. Some of them even knew that she had been the first actual Kenpachi, her first lover, the second Kenpachi had been promoted in his station. He now served in the royal realm.

The Fons were the first ones into the first division. They went in with medical supplies, they had them at hand. All Retsu had was her healing powers, but even she could not dispel that sleeping poison out of the head captain's system. The Shibas were the next ones to come forward, but they did not enter into the first division. They were instead more interested in directing their attention to the outside terrains. For a moment too, they had seen the masses of armies. To them it was incomprehensible, so they look for answers, even if that involved some digging around.

The other captains stood around still catching their breath from days of fighting. Many of them were still amazed to see just who it had been who had come to their rescue. Some of them saw the noble clans as nothing but an unnecessary burden on the soul society. Whilst other captains saw their presence there as a sign that that war had spread giving the nobles no other choice than to step into the battlefield. This made many of them feel unsettled, it made them feel as if they had failed somewhat in their duties as captains.

"Hey! Hey over here!"

Everyone immediately looked to where that voice was coming from. They soon saw that one of the Shiba soldiers had moved out on his own and was now looking down on the ground. This was something that caused many of the others to approach him, trying to figure out just what made him look so excited all of a sudden.

"That is how the armies just kept on coming. Look…look here on the ground, there are openings to what looks like underground tunnels. The perfect way to launch never-ending attacks on anyone!"

...

Kenji Ukitake did not know what to make of the situation. Sōnosuke Kyōraku had brushed him off, making it obvious that he was nothing more than a pest in this situation of war. He had also made Kenji think for a moment that the other nobles would go into retreat, they would create a new strategy. He had expected this to take some time, a lot of time even, but that had not been the case. As soon as Kenji backed off to start cutting down the menos grande, the other nobles had set into action. And just as Kenji help clear the first waves of hollows, he looked back, he saw the barrier encapsulating the first division, simply disintegrate. This had prompted him to leave his battlefield to follow after the other nobles. His big brother was no longer trapped, and if Jūshirō rarely spoke to Kenji without shouting at him. Kenji still felt as if he had a duty to see if Jūshirō was okay.

And when he did finally face the captains, he looked confused. It was only the head captain being carried out on a stretcher. The other captains looked too calm to have come out of a long battle:

"What gives? How is it that neither one of you have any wounds after having supposedly fought a battle for days!"

After Kenji's sudden burst, he went silent, as saying much more was not the best idea with now every captain looking at him as if he were some sort of mental patient. It was the same look that the nobles had given him. The only one who acted as if he was not there was Jūshirō himself. That was normal, Jūshirō did not give him the time of day. But then Tōshirō Hitsuguya did as Kenji became the subject of the young captain's ire.

"WHO ARE YOU TO QUESTION OUR ABILITIES? DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT WE WOULD STRUGGLE IN THIS SORT OF BATTLE. DO YOU THINK US THAT LAZY OR WEAK? DO YOU DOUBT HIORYIMARU'S ABILITY TO PROTECT US FRONT THE FULL BRUNT OF CONTINUOUs ATTACKS!"

Having the short captain yelling at him made Kenji face go red. Tōshirō really knew how to stand his ground, and the other captains had just left the responsibility up to him. Jūshirō did not even give him a glare, no he was still very much wrapped up in his own thoughts.

So it seemed that Kenji would get no rise out of Jūshirō that day, but he would get a rise out of the other captains. The tenth division had started first but now it was Mayuri's turn to cut in. And instead of just addressing Kenji, the twelfth division captain turned to all of them, and let us just say that his next words were far from friendly:

"And here I thought that the noble clans were supposed to act with finesse. They are not the ones who are meant to go round blowing up barriers that kept the Seireitei safe. The same barrier which kept all of your families safe as well. What has gotten into all of you, have you no brain? Did you not think to contact the first division via the telecoms? Honestly, do I have to do all the thinking around here?"

At that moment Kenji dared to take a sigh of relief. It seemed that Kurotucshi's ire was more directed to the other nobles, the ones with the military power. As far as Kenji knew, the Ukitake clan had never had their own vassal clans, so it only made sense that they never had a personal army either.

Kenji took all these technicalities as a sign that he did not have to respond. Instead, it was head of the Ōmeda clan who stepped forward. Yes that clan that was well known for their laziness, so being in the midst of the battle meant that they were acting very much out of character. Yes they had fought, well their armies had done, and now they were also the one to put a certain experiment obsessed captain right in his place.

"Oh, do you not know, your telecom links stopped working at the first sign of invasion."

The twelfth division captain went from looking downright furious to opening and closing his mouth like some sort of goldfish. He had sure been put right into his place and from how red his entire face was going it was almost as if it was going to explode. He was angry, he did not want to admit that he was wrong, but no noble present disputed that spoken fact. So this meant that Mayuri could not simply brush this off. This meant that he would have to check the matter out for himself, even if he did not really want to.

So just as the Fons entered the first division to then carry the head captain out to safety. Mayuri approached the outer wall, traced down a cable only to connect it to his personal computer. This cable was the green cable, the one that linked everything in the soul society together, or tried too. It was what permitted the telecom systems to work, it was what allowed phone calls between the divisions and it even allowed emails. These were still in very basic form, not likely to evolve much further since continuing things the old way with butterflies was still prefered.

Mayuri then saw a whole bunch of coding whizzed across the laptop screen until it disappeared. Mayuri started and restarted his computer over and over again, the same thing only continued to happen. And this was something that made a certain captain very angry, to the point of screaming out:

"WHO DARED TO BUTCHER MY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM?!"

Now, this was something that caused many to raise their eyebrows. Yes it looked like the weird and whacky captain was having a fit of his own, but it would be the Shiba who landed the next bombshell.

"Your communications system came down well before the enemy brought down the original protective wall dividing the Seireitei from the rest of the soul society.

...

If Jūshirō had remained detached from everything, when Kūkaku Shiba made that announcement, it was as if something in him snapped. Then again, many other captains could not remain passive, as their first sign at the disbelief at the situation was through their eyes going wide, very wide. It was not out of fear, no it was out of shock…and anger… Yes that was something that everyone was getting infected with now, as it was Shunsui Kyōraku that responded with words:

"What…? What do you mean the protective wall was destroyed? If you were all there, how you could be so stupid as to let it happen!"

Kenji put his hand to his mouth struggling to hold back a laugh. Yes, it seemed as if he was not the only one to lose his cool, but then at least Kenji knew more about the war situation then any of the captains did. He had been there, he had seen the devastation, he had almost been obliterated in the blast that the enemy used to wipe out as many of them as possible. And Kenji had to look away and laugh when it was none other then Sōnosuke Kyōraku who whipped the eighth division captain into place.

"Watch your words boy! Once upon a time that barrier might have protected you, but it was obvious that the enemy has long since taking control of that barrier from Central 46"

The captains still looked furious. They refused to believe that things could get so bad. They refused to believe that they were not the only target. They did not want to accept that just as the head captain had been removed from the battle, the same thing had happened to them.

"We have wiped out large swathes of the armies, but their superiors as still at large somewhere within the Seireitei…"

It had been one of Byakuya's cousins who had come forward, only Byakuya knew who he was, and he seemed to take him seriously. The other captains were beginning to take this as a sign that they ought to worry. But then there was a certain long brown haired captain who could only laugh, and that was none other than the captain of the fifth division:

"You…you think that the Seireitei, the most guarded place of the soul society…You really think that it would be so easily infiltrated…"

Shinji maintained his stance so much that the captains and the nobles found themselves divided. Many of them did not want to face up to that sort of terrifying reality either. But by ignoring it, it would not go away. And before the derision could go on for too long, Shinji suddenly felt a boot against his rear and pushing him forward. It was very much like an uncomfortable kick, one that he turned round to give the perpetrator his deathly glare. But he failed to do so when he saw that it was none other than Kenpachi Zaraki.

"I agree with Captain Princess's cousin. It is too much of a coincidence for it not to be true."

Many of the captains looked between Byakuya and then Kenpachi, not quite understanding the connection. The sixth division captain unlike many other times did not take offence to Kenpachi's statement. In fact, he even puffed out his chest as if he were excited to hear such a statement. Gin Ichimaru had once teased Tōshirō Hitsugaya in a similar fashion, so all he could do was to cross his arms and pout. Whilst the nobles looked amongst themselves confused since they knew that neither one of them were actually members of the royal family.

"So I suppose we are all in agreement then. The enemy is within our walls, that makes it more acceptable for all this fighting that our heiress has done over the last few days."

It was the head of the Kasomioji clan that spoke. Just like many who still questioned whether Delilah should have become a soul reaper due to her royal blood. There were some nobles there who wondered whether Rurichiyo, with her isolated upbringing, was really the best candidate for soul reaper. This was even after she had gone from being a simple soul reaper to becoming one of the seated officers.

"We should do our part to track down these enemies. Without our daughter working with the other soul reapers, those menos grande will have surely stormed the twelve division by now then"

Almost by command, each of the captains and the nobles turned their attention towards the soul society. Many were surprised to see just how easy it was to see the Rukkon district from where they stood. They knew that the protective wall had come down, but they had no clue what that meant until that point. They had no idea just how vulnerable the lack of that wall actually made them. And it caused many captains to worry, they were so used to security. But they were also accustomed to their privacy as well. So if anything they felt naked, and those menos grande roaring away in the distance sure did not make things seem any better. It made them realise that for the first time, they would really have to pay direct attention to what happened in the great soul society. Because what happened there, would eventually come to affect them.

"Whilst you are all moaning about a couple of pesky beasts that I am sure that many of you could hack into pieces. I have just established that links with Central 46 are still open. As they are under our feet, they are in the most secure part of the whole soul society. And with their links open, surely they had been able to observe the battle better then any of us have. If we have been infiltrated, then they will have more of a clue where to look then we do."

 **Two chapters left to finish this arc! Until next time!**


	18. The Soul Society Under Siege: Part 17

****Welcome back everyone, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Please read** **and review!****

 **Thank you Windblade67 for your review! No Delilah has been fighting. The next arc will be about the war taking place in the royal realm. She will come out guns blazing then! As for the captains not noticing the wall falling, yes they were concentrating on fighting as well as not quite believing how much the enemy seems to be beating them at every turn. They will gain an upper leg from the next chapter, the last of this arc. Yes they are a nuisance but not for long. I know it's been months but I have finished my postgraduate degree and I am looking into doing a PHD. For the moment, I will upload this chapter and the next to finish this arc! Thank you so much for your continued support!**

"Contact Central 46? Ha ha really? When have they ever been of any use? It has only been the nobles and the soul reapers at best who have ever fought in these wars. Central 46 has always remained holed up in their underground meeting hall. They have always been safe since the first division is not the one that usually gets attacked…" Sonosuke Kyōraku had now taken over the conversation. He had sounded so confident but now he had hit a snag. Yes, the first division was the one who usually remained secured. But this time, the enemy had gotten right to the command centre. Whilst the twelfth division may have kept the computers running across the soul society. The first division still leads the charge when it came to the battle. It was a little wonder now that it would also the command centre in this battle which seemed to have no end.

"In this time of chaos, do you not think that following the guidelines would be the best thing?" Multiple eyes soon out the one who had spoken. Byakuya had said those words, of course, he had. He was the noble that everyone expected to uphold the laws of the soul society.

"As a noble and soul reaper captain, do you not believe us to be more capable to deal with these circumstances Kuchiki?" Sonosuke Kyōraku demanded to know.

"Now…now…there is no need to fighting. This battle seems to finally be coming to an end, so it's time for a cleanup?" Shunsui pitched in much to the annoyance of his father. Yet Sonosuke did not seem ready to entertain his flesh and blood at the moment. He seemed to pay more attention to his battle partner, Jushiro Ukitake: "And what say you young Ukitake? Is the war truly over? Even in the royal realm?"

Everyone was looking Jūshirō Ukitake and he, in turn, seemed to be staring off into a distance. To many, it was as if he was not there at all. In some ways, his mind was far away trying to find the daughter whose pain was still gripping his body. He had become stronger when she had become stronger. He no longer has his illness and that was because Delilah had become something more. She had something that many wanted.

"Yes father, Central 46 are useless but you don't need to take your anger out on Jūshirō!" Shunsui spoke up glaring right at the Kyōraku clan head.

Some of the other nobles around them has also started to become curious, much to Shunsui's discomfort. Some of their faces though betrayed their intent to force an answer out of Jūshirō by violence if needed. And it was the most unlikely captain with wild spiky hair that stepped in: "Oh come on. Isn't it obvious?"

Captains and nobles combined shook their heads giving Kenpachi looks of derision. Kenpachi though gave them that sort of smile that was enough to make you go running. He was not confrontational, he was rather in a state of ecstasy. He had been fighting alongside Retsu Unohana the woman he hoped to make his wife. And by the way, her eyes glowed at his level-headedness, he might have a chance, as she asked: "Do tell Kenpachi."

Kenpachi's face went a little pink as he gulped, answering: "The shaking. You all probably thought it was some earthquake. It wasn't, it was a war cry. Figures the only girl to beat me would have a war cry to knock everyone off their feet!"

From the look on Retsu's face, she remained impressed. From the looks on the other nobles' faces, they looked confused, scared even.

"When did her power become that unstable" one asked.

"She was a captain, wasn't she? She should know not to go that far?" another added.

"Isn't she with the soul king? Should he not have stepped in? Should he not have done something to make sure that she would not cause havoc to everyone else?" a third one added.

Some of the other captains considered joining in, but then they knew better. They were still waiting for Jūshirō to give them answers, now including Shunsui. He had come to Jūshirō's defence that was true, but now he had got thinking. Now he had felt annoyed that somehow his father knew that his friend was keeping secrets. Sonosuke Kyōraku had always seemed to favour Jūshirō, Shunsui's own mother was an Ukitake after all. Yet Shunsui has always felt that there was something more. It was something that Jūshirō seemed to now have figured out. And then there was Delilah since when did Jūshirō know more about her than anyone else. They might have been father and daughter but they had never been that close. The daddy-daughter connection with Sōsuke Aizen had always been far greater.

"Jūshirō," Shunsui called out to his friend in a loud whisper. Jūshirō flinched a little looking towards the ground. Yes, it seemed that his friend was now hiding something...from him. He would not have that. He would even go as far as to grab onto his friend's shoulder. He yanked him away...hard, Jūshirō pulled back, matching his strength.

"Well, that's new," Shunsui said.

Jūshirō shook his head, saying: "Please Shunsui, not here."

Shunsui was opening and closing his hand still stunned that his friend showed so much strength. Jūshirō had been fighting for days but he had not tired. Shunsui was sure he should have burst into a coughing fit by now, but nothing had happened. In fact, his face seemed to have colour in it. Was this the first time he was noticing it? Was this the first time he realised that his friend was no longer sick? Jūshirō had taken sick leaves, but had he really been sick?

"Let's get out of here," Shunsui said.

...

Everyone knew the history of the thirteen court guard squads. Everyone had known that the head captain had come first. Everyone knew that Retsu had come sometime after Shunsui and Jūshirō, brothers in all but blood. But these captains shared so much more, secrets was a big one. And as Shunsui lead Jūshirō into another room, he expected to drill his friend on everything he had been hiding.

"So Jūshirō spill. What have you been hiding? Why are you no longer sick?" Shunsui was to ask so much more, but he went silent. Jūshirō was now looking at Shunsui was such intense spiritual pressure it could have knocked him out. One minute, two minutes, three, four, five, and nothing happened. Jūshirō had not burst into a fit of coughing. His friend had not even started clearing his throat. Instead, the thirteenth captain was now threatening to do all that to him. He had never though Jūshirō this strong. Shunsui had been next in line for head captain but now...

"With that much spiritual pressure, I would think that you are competing for the head captain position." Shunsui laughed.

"Others in my family are more beloved. Delilah, Gin even. I would rather concentrate my attention on the young ones instead." Jūshirō said.

Shunsui started to sway on his feet, asking: "Hey, um, could you let up a bit. It feels like near to choking me."

Jūshirō blinked a few times before looking away from Shunsui. The spiritual pressure was suddenly gone. Shunsui spent the next few minutes make loud gasping noises to breathe again. Once steady on his feet again, Shunsui asked: "You mentioned Delilah and Gin, are they the target?"

Jūshirō was back to looking off into a distance again. Shunsui then snapped, saying: "Stop it! You just said that you would give me answers!"

"We are all targets Shunsui. The enemies would not have left the soul society alone if that was the case." The thirteenth captain answered.

"We are all targets. Why? Who are these enemies? What do they want?" Shunsui knew he was demanding now, but he would not hold back. He finally had Jūshirō in a position where he would answer his questions. Shunsui would not pass up this opportunity. He would wring his friend dry if he had to. Who knew when Jūshirō would be willing to answers questions again.

"They want a return to the time before Delilah and Gin. They want a time before even the soul king's establishment of the thirteen court guard squads." Jūshirō answered.

Shunsui was getting his answers but he was not liking the tone of Jūshirō's voice. It was so low, so raspy, almost like when Shunsui gave into his dark side. As far as he had known Jūshirō had never stooped that low, so what had changed now.

"Does it have something to do with the dark shadow hanging over you?" Shunsui asked.

Jūshirō's face went dark as if rage was threatening to bubble to the surface. Jūshirō had always been so calm and carefree with him and now he had changed. Shunsui had always believed his friend to be the ideal father material. Now he was starting to understand Delilah's childhood. Shunsui had pegged his friend in being overprotective of his daughter. He had seen his friend as a disciplinarian. But Jūshirō had a dark side of him, one that he might not want as his friend. One that made Shunsui understand why Sōsuke had triumphed over Jūshirō.

"Don't you dare!" Jūshirō hissed. "Don't you dare judge me! It is not as if you had an ancestor who split your clan down the middle. It is not as if you had an ancestral uncle who made it their mission to tear their little brother's soul to shreds!"

Shunsui did not back away, no he went at Jūshirō head on. With other enemies, he would have hacked them to pieces with his swords. With Jūshirō, his weapon would be his words: "Oh you want to complain about your family, do you? My clan has issues too. With your illness, you might not have noticed that the Kyōraku line is actually a maternal one! You complain about your scoundrel of an ancestral uncle. What about my irresponsible ancestral aunt huh? She chose her lover rather than being the leader of her clan. She pissed on protocol and left that to her little brother."

Shunsui closed his eyes. Jūshirō had lashed out before, Shunsui had to prepare for it to happen again. But nothing happened, instead Jūshirō pulled away from him. His face portrayed nothing more than extreme passivity. No, wait, there was something in those green eyes of Jūshirō. It was almost as his friend understood...more than him. Shunsui started to grind his teeth. His friend knew secrets about his family as well?!

"Okay, that's creepy, really creepy. You know that right. You seemed to be full of secrets, others too, but you're not telling are you. We have been best friends for centuries, brothers even. You know the first rule, best friends don't keep secrets." Shunsui rambled as Jūshirō gave him a soft smile.

"And now you are laughing at me!" Shunsui snapped.

"Now, I am acknowledging what you said. I am keeping secrets. Your father got that one right. He was pretty smart looking to me for answers to. He had probably realised that I have figured out just how connected the Ukitake and the Kyōraku clan are." Jūshirō told him.

Shunsui began to walk rings around Jūshirō. His friend was still acting so strange, so mysterious. Shunsui was still not sure if Jūshirō would not try something to slip away. They both seemed to have family secrets, but that was not important. Delilah was important, she was the one who his father had wanted to know about after all.

"Okay, easier question, why did my father seem to think that you would have information about Delilah?" Shunsui asked.

Jūshirō put his hand to the back of his head rubbing it: "Well it might have something to do with her maternal grandfather. I have been in constant contact with him since Delilah left."

...

Shunsui blinked once, twice, three times before crying out in indignation: "What!"

Now Jūshirō flinched at his words. Now Shunsui knew that his friend had a reason to look away. No one had heard anything about Delilah since her return to the royal realm. That was pretty much the general consensus until Jūshirō went and dumped that bombshell.

"Why...? Why did you not say anything?" Shunsui's words were cracking up. His breathing haggard stunned that his friend could keep something like that from him.

"There are some things that are only supposed to remain in the immediate family Shunsui," Jūshirō said with a straight face.

Shunsui wrinkled his nose, sniffing out loud. Jūshirō was looking at his head on now. His friend was no longer shying away from him, so Shunsui would return the favour. He would ask: "So is there anything else I should know? What you have neglected to tell everyone else?"

A small smile started to grow on Jūshirō's lips. Shunsui had thought about backing away. He had thought that his friend might return to that dark state he had been in only a few minutes ago. Jūshirō's laugh acknowledged otherwise: "Oh Shunsui, there is so much. They are so very much news. It looks like I was the first one of us to get grandchildren after all."

Shunsui went from a blank face to raising his eyebrows in horror: "Delilah and Gin?"

Jūshirō nodded.

"And...and those children are there...right at the centre of this war?!" Shunsui exclaimed.

This time Jūshirō shook his head leaving Shunsui confused.

"No Delilah sent them away...to Hueco Mundo," Jūshirō said.

Shunsui took a step back as he began stuttering: "Hueco Mundo. Yeah, I suppose it's safer. But then...how do you know that?"

Jūshirō lifted his left arm, yanked up his sleeve to slap his bare arm a few times. For a few seconds, there was a flash in blood with a message: "Children safe. Hueco Mundo."

Shunsui could only look and look and look at Jūshirō. His friend had a whole life where he had no part in it. His friend was so much more than his brother or even a captain now. He was also a father and a grandfather to boot.

"But still, you have grandchildren! The one whose sickness pretty much guaranteed that he would never have children now has a legacy. Then again, you are not that sick anymore, are you? Something happened...didn't it?" Shunsui mused.

Now it was Jūshirō's time to wince. Was it because of Delilah or because of him? Shunsui stared at him blinking and blinking again, waiting for an answer. Yet that did not mean that Shunsui did not notice Jūshirō's eyes flickering to the door. Yes, his friend seemed to be looking for a way out. He was once again trying to keep secrets and he was not even hiding it. Shunsui even clenched fists. His dark side was well known. But Shunsui would not let Jūshirō face the brunt of it. No Shunsui would try and keep a level head. After all, the darkness swirling in Jūshirō's eyes made Shunsui realise that one day his friend's anger might rise to the surface. What could have unsettled Jūshirō so much?

"Something happened to Delilah, yes," Jūshirō confirmed.

Something happened to you too old friend. Something that has turned you in a broken version of yourself. Delilah might have seen something that I have never done. Or could something else had happened after she left?

"Is it the cause of this war?" Shunsui asked.

Jūshirō nodded.

"What did she gets her hands on some illicit artefacts in the royal realm that everyone wants?" Shunsui asked with a bit of a chuckle. Jūshirō did not join in with his amusement, instead, the darkness in his eyes became more obvious. Shunsui had struck a nerve, or almost struck one.

"Not an object but power," Jūshirō added.

"Power?" Shunsui questioned in incredulity.

"Yes, power."

Shunsui could see as clear as day that Jūshirō was not laughing. It was such a strange sight that Shunsui's head began to hurt. He was the serious one, the one who would go head first into battle. Jūshirō was the weaker one, the one he had to defend. His brother in all but name would look to others for answers. Now the tables had turned, now Jūshirō was the one to carry the great burdens Shunsui used to.

"Hasn't Delilah always had power? Has Delilah always had Shirūba Ōji?" Shunsui questioned him.

And then Shunsui got the laugh he was looking for. But Jūshirō's chuckling had no warmth about it, it was as cold. It was a calm as Shunsui as he took down any particularly difficult enemy that crossed his path.

"Ukitake, Kyōraku come out, come out where ever you are. I only want to say this once!" The sudden screech brought Shunsui and Jūshirō's confrontation to a halt. The twelfth division captain was not one to cause a racket over nothing. So the two older captains did not hesitate in using the flash step to return to the other captains and the nobles. They had found themselves in the captains' meeting room. Mayuri Kurotsuchi was standing at the centre with a portal computer on wheels. He was grinning but in the freaky sort of way pointing at the screen.

"Can you see it? CAN YOU ALL SEE IT?" the twelfth captain said near screaming.

Most of the nobles were looking away miffed, some captains consider following suit. It was Byakuya who gave out a large tut.

"We are not all strange creatures like you are Mayuri Kurotsuchi. We do not have time to marvel at your useless discoveries. We have to get back to strategising to eradicate these enemies once and for all." the Kuchiki head told him.

Shunsui watched as Mayuri gave Byakuya gave him a glare.

"Why defeat the armies when we can finally take out their command?"

"What?"

"How is that possible?"

"Of course there is a central command!" These were some of the things coming from the nobles themselves. Yes, they were listening now. How could they not?

"Their command?" Byakuya questioned Mayuri. "Oh, really and where have they managed to hide away during all this time?"

"Why they are directly underneath us! They probably slaughtered Central 46 first before taking control of all our barrier defences and communications!" Mayuri exclaimed.

 **Next chapter will be the end of The Soul Society Under Siege Arc! Fingers crossed I will be able to pull of the big reveal! Until next time!**


End file.
